Demonic Twins
by lokinorsedeity
Summary: One was raised in Konoha, the other in the Hidden Sand village. How will the ninja world react when Naruto discovers he has an identical twin named Haruto? Why were they seperated mere hours after birth? And why does Haruto hear the NineTailed Fox?
1. Prologue

**Prologue…**

"_Congratulations! You've got twins!" said one of the med ninja._

"_The girl…Haruto. The boy…Naruto," said the woman weakly before she left this world._

"_Remember your mission! The Kazekage wants one of the twins with the sealed beast!" said the commander of the Sand ninja sent to the village. Their mission: to kidnap one of the twins with the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed within them. As the fox slowly died from the seal, a Sand Ninja stole away with the girl…Haruto. Little did they know that her twin brother, Naruto, was the one cursed with the Sealed Beast._

"_Good work. Now, which one of you will train and raise the child?" asked the Kazekage._

"_I will…my wife lost our child," said one of the ninjas._

"_Very well…raise the girl as your own. Remember, the fate of the village may very well rest on your shoulders," said the Kazekage._

"_Yes, Lord Kazekage…" _

* * *

"Why? Why do they all fear me?!" cried a certain red-haired boy. He unknowingly sent his deadly sand after a few of the fleeing children. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see a girl grinning. 

"Want to play?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"I said, do you want to play?"

The sand that was chasing after the children slowly stopped, then receded. The boy nodded, happy that at least one person wanted to play with him.

"By the way…what's your name?" she asked.

"My name is Gaara. What's yours?"

"Mine is Haruto. Haruto Kazehana."

The two played with a ball for the rest of the day. As the sun slowly sank beneath the dunes, the two quickly became friends. Gaara went home, happier than he'd been in a long time.

"So how was today Gaara?" asked his uncle.

"I made a friend!" he replied happily.

"Oh? What's their name?"

"Her name's Haruto Kazehana," answered Gaara.

"Haruto, eh?"

* * *

The next day, Haruto met up with Gaara and played with him again. The other children watched in horror as the two got along. During lunch, Haruto went to get something for them to eat and was approached by one of the other children. 

"How can you be near that kid?! He's a freak!" he asked.

"What do you mean? He's pretty normal to me!" asked Haruto.

"My dad said that kid has an evil demon inside him. And I believe it!"

"Gaara has a demon inside him?"

"Yeah. Dad said it was the Shukaku monster!"

"Shukaku?! You mean that thing that was sealed in a teapot?!"

"That's the one."

Haruto stood there stunned before she burst out laughing. She walked away grinning and Gaara asked, "What's so funny?"

"One of the others said that you had the Shukaku demon inside you," said Haruto. She would have kept grinning if she hadn't noticed a sudden change in Gaara's attitude.

"What's wrong Gaara?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't find out about the demon in me…" he said quietly.

"Wait a minute. Is that the reason why everyone avoids you like the plague?"

"Uh-huh."

"Gaara…" said Haruto surprised.

"I guess this means you don't wanna be my friend anymore," said Gaara sadly.

"What makes you think that?"

"I have an evil demon inside of me!"

"You're kidding right?" she said amused.

"Everyone hates me because of this demon in me," said Gaara, clearly upset.

"Gaara, if I were afraid of you, then I'd be afraid of anyone with a Kekkei Genkai."

Gaara looked at her in surprise. His eyes held hope, which caused her to go on.

"Just because you have a unique ability doesn't mean I should immediately be terrified of you. Adults are the ones who can't handle something outside their knowledge," said Haruto with a smile.

"You mean…?"

"Yup, I'm still your friend. The only reason the others are scared of you is because their parents make them afraid of the unknown. My mom and dad don't care about that stuff, so I don't either," explained Haruto.

Gaara was relieved; she was the first and only person who didn't care whether he had a demon or not. Little did he know that his uncle was watching the whole time in shock at her reaction. He immediately went to the Kazekage and told him what he witnessed.

* * *

"So the demon has made a friend…what was the girl's name?" 

"He told me it was Haruto Kazehana."

"Kazehana? So that's why she was unaffected by the demon. She is the girl we took from the Leaf village that possessed a sealed beast!"

"That's the girl?!"

"That's the one. Kazehana was the one who volunteered to raise her," said the Kazekage.

"What should I do?"

"Leave this be for now."

"Hey, Haruto, how'd you like to come over to my house sometime?" asked Gaara. 

"I'd love to! I just hope my parents will agree…"

* * *

"Haruto, how was your day?" asked her mother. 

"It was okay."

"Did something happen?"

"I found out my new friend has a demon sealed inside him," said Haruto nonchalantly.

"He WHAT?!"

"He has the Shukaku demon in him," repeated Haruto.

"His name wouldn't happen to be Gaara, would it?" asked her father.

"That's him!"

"Haruto, I don't think it's a good idea to be hanging around that boy," said her mother.

"Why?! Because of the demon?"

"That's exactly why we don't want you to be around him."

Now Haruto, who normally followed her parent's orders without much fuss, had a very difficult choice to make. She could either keep her word to Gaara and remain his friend, even though her parents said not to, or she could remain their cooperative daughter. Either choice would change her life dramatically. Finally, she made up her mind as she said, "I don't care you or anyone says! Gaara is my friend!"

"Haruto! We're doing this for your own good!" said her mother.

"You're wrong, mother! Gaara isn't someone that should be feared! He's just like me and everyone else!"

"Haruto, be reasonable! That boy is dangerous," said her father sternly.

"He is not dangerous. You don't even know what he's like! You don't want to get to know him at all!" said Haruto, upset. Before either of her parents could respond, she went to her room and locked the door. They sat there in shock. She had never gone against their decision before, and it was disturbing.

* * *

"_Where did we go wrong?"_

"_It's not our fault dear, she's just too young to understand," said the father._

"_Yes I know, but still…"_

"_We'll try to get through to her in the morning when she had some time to think about her actions. You'll see…"_

Haruto listened to her parent's conversation, trying not to cry. Why wouldn't they understand?! Why do adults fear that which is unknown? She knew what she had to do; she would have to follow her own path, with or without their support. And that thought terrified her.

* * *

"Haruto, have you thought about what we talked about last night?" asked her father calmly.

"Yes."

"And?"

"I'm still going to be his friend. I'm the only one who's ever tried to get to know him," said Haruto firmly.

"Haruto, he's dangerous! We're only trying to protect you," said her mother.

"Mom, he isn't a monster. He's just a lonely kid that everyone fears because he's different from everyone else."

"You do know that he's hurt several of the other children don't you? We're just trying to keep you from being hurt," said her father.

"He didn't mean to! He was just lonely is all," defended Haruto upset.

"I take it there's no way we can change your mind?" asked her father in defeat. She shook her head; he sighed as he said, "Very well. You can continue being his friend. On one condition! If he ever hurts you intentionally, then you must never talk to him again!"

"But!"

"No buts!"

"Well then can I at least spend the night at his house?"

"I don't see why not," said her mother.

"Yay!"

"Hey Haru! What happened?" asked Gaara when he saw her expression.

"I told my parents about the Shukaku, and they didn't want me to be friends with you anymore. But I convinced them, so they said it was okay. They also said I could spend the night at your house!"

This got a mixed reaction from Gaara. While he was thrilled she could come over, he was upset that she got into trouble with her parents.

"Don't worry about it silly! Come on! Let's go play some more!" she said cheerfully. His mood brightened up as they played for the entire day. He showed her his house before she met his uncle. He was surprised to finally meet her; she spent the night with Gaara, and couldn't wait to see what the next day would bring.

* * *

That night, she had a strange and disturbing dream. She came face to face with a demonic raccoon; he looked at her amused. Then he spoke, his voice filled her with fear.

_**So you are the girl who fears nothing…**_

_Who are you?_

_**My name is Shukaku.**_

_You're the demon everyone is so terrified of?! You don't seem that scary to me._

_**Why do you not fear the very sight of me?**_

_Why should I? Only a closed-minded person would fear the unknown._

_**You are one strange girl…**_

_Thanks for the compliment._

* * *

Her comment caused Shukaku to chuckle. She took this to be a good sign; it was a strong chance that she had gotten on his good side. This was no easy feat. It was around this time she woke up. Gaara was already awake and waiting for her at the table. After they ate breakfast, they headed to class together.

It was over a week later that something unthinkable happened. Gaara was moon-gazing when he was attacked without warning. His Sand rose up and defended him; it then went on the offensive and attacked the assailant. It quickly and efficiently killed the man. When Gaara went to find the man's identity, his heart was split in two. It was his uncle who had tried to kill him!

He soon learned the truth about his dark birth. His mother never loved him; she despised him and the village that killed her. He avoided the explosive tags his uncle had, and his sand created the kanji for 'love' on his forehead out of his pain. The next morning, Haruto saw the kanji and gasped in shock.

"Gaara! What happened?!"

"My uncle tried to kill me. He told me the truth about my mother…"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but he's gone now…"

"I can't believe he'd tried to kill you though," said Haruto in disbelief.

"My father sent him. Apparently the elders think I'm too unstable to live," said Gaara, his anger rising.

"Well one thing's for sure…"

"What?"

"I'd never try to come after you even if the Kazekage ordered me to."

"You mean it?" asked Gaara.

"We're friends Gaara, and nothing will ever change that," said Haruto firmly.

"Thank you, Haruto. You're the only one I can trust anymore," said Gaara relieved.

"Let's make a promise then. No matter what happens, we'll always remain friends," said Haruto. He nodded, and they swore to never let anything tear them apart.


	2. Bonds of Friendship tested

**Bonds of friendship tested**

Haruto always wanted to be a Black Ops ninja. She took the test and passed with the highest grade in the village history. She quickly flew through the lessons; soon she would be ready to take the final exam. Gaara had a mixed reaction to this; he was glad that she was excelling in her class, but he was starting to get lonely. She rarely came to see him at all.

"Hey, Gaara! Long time, no see!" said Haruto cheerfully.

"Hey Haru, how's it going?" he replied.

"It's okay. So what's be going on?"

"Not much. What've you been doing?"

"Been bored out of my mind with all the idiots around."

"Name one," joked Gaara. (Please note that one of their favorite jokes is the next line!)

"Your older brother Kankuro." Haruto said; they both burst out laughing.

The two talked for hours, catching up with what had happened. They went home, in better moods than usual. A week later, Haruto got some news that left her thrilled! She would be allowed to take the final exam a year early; which meant that she could become a Black Ops ninja. She would be the youngest member in the village history.

"Well, little Kazehana, it seems you're about to receive your first mission as a Black Ops," said her teacher.

"I can't wait!" said Haruto.

* * *

"Miss Kazehana?"

"That's me," said Haruto.

"Are you prepared to receive your first official mission?"

"As prepared as I'll ever be," replied Haruto.

"Very well. Your mission is to assassinate a dangerous monster."

"What's the name?" asked Haruto, serious.

"His name is Gaara; he has the Shukaku sealed within him. You must eliminate him at all costs," said the Black Ops Leader.

"Gaara?! You've got to be kidding!" said Haruto in horror.

"This is no joke, Ms. Kazehana. Your target is the boy named Gaara, and he must be killed at all costs."

"I-I can't!"

"What is the problem, Ms. Kazehana?"

"Gaara is my friend! I can't kill my friend!" protested Haruto in anger.

"You refuse to accept your mission? Doing so will result in failure of the final exam," said the captain.

"I don't care!"

"You may leave," he said coldly.

Haruto left the room, furious and upset. She walked randomly, barely even registering the presence of her fellow villagers. She bumped into someone, and mumbled an emotionless apology.

* * *

"Watch where you're going next time!" said the girl. Haruto looked up and realized it was Gaara's older sister, Temari.

"I'm really sorry about that, Temari."

"Its okay, Haru. Just watch where you're walking."

"I guess I spaced out for a minute there," Haruto said with a laugh.

"What happened?"

"I had a chance to do the Black Ops exam early and failed."

"How come?"

"The final exam is where you go on your first official mission as a Black Ops. The thing is, the mission they gave me was something I could never do," said Haruto.

"What?"

"They said I'd have to kill Gaara."

"No wonder you flunked."

"Who assigns the missions anyway?! Everyone knows Gaara is my best friend!"

"Apparently the Black Ops haven't. Why don't you come over to my house tonight? I could use some help dealing with Kankuro."

"Are you offering to let me take out my frustration on your brother?" asked Haruto evilly.

"Maybe I am…" laughed Temari.

"I'm in!"

* * *

"Temari! Why'd ya bring HER here?!" whined Kankuro. (Haruto has a nasty habit or tormenting him whenever she gets the chance!)

"She had a bad day," replied Temari.

"How bad?"

"I failed the final exam for the Black Ops."

"How the hell did you fail?! You skipped nearly half the courses!"

"The final exam is where you had to complete an official Black Ops mission."

"I repeat, how the hell did you fail?!"

"My mission was to kill Gaara."

"I don't think I need to repeat my last question."

"Gaara is her friend, moron," said Temari irritably.

"I still don't get why she's even his friend!" retorted Kankuro.

"Temari, can I borrow your fan?" asked Haruto coldly. She handed her fan over; Haruto promptly whacks Kankuro hard on the head!

"OWW!!"

"Serves you right," snorted Haruto. Kankuro leaves the room and mumbles swear words as he walks. The two girls laugh evilly at his annoyance. Haruto stayed for dinner and the night before she went back to her training. Her teacher was surprised to see her; he thought she'd be a Black Ops member by now!

* * *

"What happened?" 

"I flunked. The mission they wanted me to do was impossible."

"What was it?"

"They wanted me to kill my best friend, which is something I could never do, even if it meant I would fail the test."

"You do know that this means you'll have to wait a year before you'll get another chance."

"I don't care. Gaara is my friend, and I'll never betray him like that!"

"Gaara?! You mean the boy with the Shukaku inside him?!" said her teacher in shock.

"Why does everyone act like that whenever I tell them Gaara is my best friend?!" grumbled Haruto.

"Sorry, it's just that I didn't expect to hear that," her sensei apologized.

"Out of curiosity, who assigns the missions anyway?"

"The Kazekage of course. Who else did you think it was?"

"The Kazekage?! That fool just gave me another reason to hate him!" said Haruto angrily.

A man approached them as Haruto and her teacher talked. He said, "Ms. Kazehana?"

"What now?"

"You're ordered to come with me. It seems there was a mix-up with your final exam."

"I wasn't aware that someone else was taking it yesterday…"

"Another Black Ops member was supposed to receive that mission. Your mission is awaiting you with the captain."

"I'll see you later, Haruto."

"Goodbye, sensei. I enjoyed all of your classes immensely."

* * *

"I apologize for the mix-up, Ms. Kazehana. Your real mission is infiltrating."

"What is the target?"

"The Hidden Mist village. Your mission is to enter the ninja academy and report back. Can you handle this?"

"Hai."

"You are to stay there until the Chuunin Exam. Under no circumstances are you to reveal your mission objective. Is this understood?"

"Hai. I have only one question. Which Chuunin Exam are you referring to? It's held in a different village every year."

"You are to await further orders until it is held in two years."

"In other words, I have to stay there for 2 years."

"Correct. Can you handle this mission?"

"Hai."

"Very well. I shall speak with you in four years. Follow the ninja outside for your gear."

* * *

"Hey Haruto! Are you going somewhere?" asked Gaara.

"The village Hidden in the Mist. I'm to stay there until the Chuunin Exams are held 2 years from now."

"What! Why?!"

"It was either that or I do the mission I was assigned by accident."

"What was the other?"

"I had to…kill you. I refused it so they flunked me. Then they come back and say it was a mix-up!"

"I see… so how will I get ahold of you?" asked Gaara finally.

"You won't. If you try to contact me, my mission may be compromised. Don't worry Gaara! This will be a cinch! I'll be back before you know it!"

"Good luck, Haru…" said Gaara as she left the village. She heard him and turned with a grin; she waved and that was the last Gaara saw of her for two years.

Two years came and went. When the genin who left for the Exams returned, a certain blond-haired, blue-eyed girl was among them. Her eyes lit up when she entered the village.

"Man, it's good to be home!" she said happily. She immediately headed to the Black Ops station; when she went in, the captain looked at her and said, "Well done, Kazehana-san. You are now an official Black Ops shinobi." 

"Thank you," replied Haruto.

"If you come with me, I'll take you to receive your mask."

_

* * *

A masked figure hid in the shadows; Gaara's Sand sensed their presence and prepared to attack. But the figure didn't strike; he just sat there, waiting for Gaara to acknowledge his presence. Finally, Gaara growled, "Show yourself!"_

"_Took ya long enough."_

"_Who's there?!"_

"_Take a wild guess," retorted the figure. He was working Gaara's patience. The Sand rose up and struck at the figure who evaded the attack easily. Gaara felt the smirk behind the mask and that annoyed him to no end. The Sand struck at the figure countless times, never hitting the mark. Gaara was surprised; since when do assassins hide but not strike, even in defense?! Something wasn't right…_

"You haven't changed Gaara," laughed the figure.

"Who are you?"

"You know who I am. Quit acting already!"

"Haru?"

The figure stayed still and removed his mask, revealing a grinning Haruto! She laughed at his shock.

"I was wondering when ya would figure it out!"

"Why didn't you just come out and say something?!" grumbled Gaara. The Sand stopped attacking, but it didn't return to the gourd.

"And spoil the fun? You know me better than that!" she laughed. Gaara smiled for the first time in two years.

"So how've you been?" she asked.

"Lonely."

"You missed me, didn't you?"

"You have no idea."

"Come on, dinner's on me!" she grinned. They caught up with what had happened since she left. She wasn't surprised that Gaara was a Genin. She was surprised to find out that he and his older siblings were together on the same team! She stayed the night with him, happy to be around him again.

* * *

"Haruto Kazehana?" said the shinobi.

"Speaking."

"The Captain wishes to speak with you."

"I'm coming," said Haruto. She went with him and met up with the captain.

"Kazehana, it appears that even though you passed the Black Ops exam, you need to pass the official exam. You will not receive any more missions until you become a Genin and participate in the Chuunin Exams at least once."

"Will I get to choose which team I'll be on?"

"We'll discuss that after you pass the exam."

"Hai."

She passed the exam with ease, and went back to the captain. After a quick discussion, she was put on the same team as Gaara, Temari and (much too both their dismay) Kankuro. She went on missions with Gaara and the others, and waited until the Chuunin Exams approached yet again. What would happen next would change her life forever.


	3. I have a twin?

**I have a twin?!**

Haruto and the others went on many missions, and the four of them awaited the Chuunin Exams, which were quickly approaching. When they heard that they would be allowed to participate that year, they were pleased. They each prepared to leave for the exam, which would be held in Konoha that year. Temari alone noticed a certain change in Haruto and Gaara's demeanor towards one another. They had been acting strangely for over half a year, and it bothered Temari.

They left for the exam, unaware that something sinister was at work. It took less than a week to reach the village; Gaara and Haruto wandered around for a little while, exploring. When Haruto caught up with Temari and Kankuro, her mood changed. She became annoyed with Kankuro, who had a cadet from the local ninja academy in his hand. Apparently the boy had bumped into Kankuro, which annoyed him. She was about to intervene when she noticed one of the Genin who was on the ground. Something about the boy seemed familiar, but she didn't know why.

* * *

"Kankuro! Put the kid down now!" growled Haruto.

"Make me."

"Temari, your fan please." WHAP!

"Ow! Haru, what was that for?!" griped Kankuro, who dropped the boy.

"That was for being an ass," replied Haruto annoyed; Temari got a good laugh from that. Gaara arrived shortly after; they all left to meet up with their teacher. The Genin from earlier was on Haruto's mind all the way back.

* * *

"Hey Sakura, did you see that girl who saved Konohamaru?" asked Naruto.

"Yeah, what about her?"

"Didn't she seem familiar to you?"

"You're imagining things Naruto," said Sasuke.

"No seriously! She seemed really familiar for some reason!" protested Naruto.

"Hello guys! I got lost on the path of life," said Kakashi.

"LAIR! WOULD IT KILL YOU TO EVEN PRETEND TO BE SORRY?!" roared Sakura and Naruto in unison. After a chat with their sensei, who recommended them for the Exams, Naruto approached Kakashi and asked, "Kakashi-sensei! There's something I need to talk to you about!"

"Oh? What about?"

Naruto described the scene the day before, and about the girl who helped Konohamaru out. Kakashi listened, and when he heard the girl's description, something immediately came to mind.

"So what exactly is the problem, Naruto?" said Kakashi.

"It's just that that girl seemed really familiar to me, and I don't remember meeting her before!"

"It was probably your imagination Naruto."

"But!"

Kakashi vanished before Naruto could protest. He headed to the Hokage tower to speak with the village leader.

* * *

"Hokage-sama, it seems something interesting happened yesterday…"

"Go on."

"It seems Naruto and Konohamaru ran into four Sand Genin. The thing is, one of them seemed familiar to him."

"I don't see what is so important."

"He had never met the girl before. And the description he gave…it made me wonder if his sister has returned."

"What?! You mean there's a good chance Haruto Uzamaki is back?!" said Hokage in shock.

"Seems that way. What should we do?"

"Hmm…find this Sand Genin and get a better description of her. If it _is_ Haruto, bring him in here as soon as possible."

"I understand, Lord Hokage."

It didn't take long for him to locate Haru. He took one look at her and knew that the girl was very likely Naruto's long lost twin! He vanished and found Naruto with ease.

"Naruto, you need to come with me," said Kakashi. 

"What for Kakashi-sensei?"

"The Hokage needs to talk to you about the girl from yesterday."

"You mean the one that looked familiar? Why?"

"You'll find out if you come with me."

Naruto followed Kakashi to the tower. When he got there, Kakashi waited outside as the Hokage told Naruto something that he'd been holding back on for nearly thirteen years.

* * *

"Naruto, the day you were born, something happened. Something that no one has told you about before."

"I know, I know! The Nine-Tailed Fox was sealed inside me!"

"That happened afterwards."

"Huh?!"

"You see, you weren't the only one born that day."

"So?"

"A girl was born at least a minute before you," the Hokage said carefully.

"I still don't…"

"Naruto, Kakashi told me about the girl you saw yesterday."

"Will you get to the point already?!"

"That girl that was born before you…was your twin sister, Haruto."

"WHAT! I HAVE A TWIN SISTER?!"

"Yes."

"Why didn't anyone tell me about her before?!"

"Because the next day, she disappeared from the village completely. We didn't know what happened to her; we decided it would be better if you didn't know about her at all."

"I can't believe it…I had a sister and never knew…"

"When you saw that girl yesterday, you mentioned that she seemed familiar to you, even though you've never met."

"Yeah…"

"There's a good chance she may be your sister, Haruto."

"Why? Why didn't you tell me before now?!"

"I didn't want to raise your hopes up. We didn't know where she went, and so we couldn't very well bring her back."

"Was that why you wanted to see me?"

"Yes. You may go now," said the Hokage.

Naruto exited the room, and turned towards his sensei.

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei, did you know about me having a twin?"

"Everyone who was around at the time knew. All the Jonin were sent searching for her the day she vanished. But I had forgotten all about it until you mentioned something."

"I still can't believe it…I had a sister all this time and never knew!"

"Naruto, don't get your hopes up that the girl from earlier is your twin. The only reason Lord Hokage even brought it up was because there was a good chance that it is her! So don't confront her or tell the others about this until we know for sure, okay?"

"Is there any way for me to tell it's really her?"

"Believe it or not, there is. Even though she was born before you, she inherited the same whisker-like marks on her face. If that girl has those, then she may very well be your sister."

"But her face is covered! How can I…?"

"We'll find out soon enough. Who knows, maybe she recognized you and will confront you or something…"

Naruto walked home, still stunned by the news that he had a twin. He filled out the application the best he could before he went to bed early. He woke up, ready to participate in the Chuunin Exam!

The second encounter with the girl was at the first part of the exam; she was with Gaara and the others. He held back the urge to confront her, even though he desperately wanted to know the truth. The first exam came and went without notice. It was during the second exam that he finally learned the truth!

* * *

"_Haruto, there's something you should know about where you came from…" said her sensei._

"_What is it?"_

"_You were adopted."_

"_I know. Mom told me years ago."_

"_The Sand village isn't your birth place," he continued._

"_What're you saying?! Do you mean I'm not…?"_

"_You are a Sand Genin. You just weren't born there. You were taken from your original village after you were born and brought to ours."_

"_What was my birth village?"_

"_This village."_

"_You mean I was originally a Leaf ninja? Why didn't anyone tell me before?!"_

"_Because we didn't think you'd recognize anything. If we had known, then you may not have been sent on this mission. Your memories could very well jeopardize what we're about to do!"_

"_I am a member of the Black Ops. I was raised in the Sand village and hold NO sentimental ties to Konoha," Haruto said coldly._

"_There is something else. When you were brought to the village, we left behind your twin."_

"_I have a twin?!"_

"_Yes…you have a brother. We do not know his name, and you are forbidden to seek him out. You are a Sand shinobi first!" he said firmly._

"_I understand, Sensei."_


	4. The Snake's attack

**The Snake's attack**

They were in the forest of Death, as it was called. Haruto's mind buzzed with what she had learned the night before about her birth. Gaara and Temari sensed this, so finally one of them spoke up.

"Haru, what's wrong?" Gaara asked, concerned.

"It's nothing. Let's concentrate on getting past this exam, okay?"

They completed the second exam in record time. Then Haruto did something they didn't expect.

"I'm going back out there. If I stay in here too long, I'll die from boredom!"

"What?!" said Gaara in shock.

"I'll come back before the next exam starts, you can count on it!"

"Haru wait! I'll go with you," said Gaara.

"Gaara, no offense, but I'd rather go alone. Besides, I don't need help weeding out the competition!" she laughed.

"Haru…"

"I'll be back before the next part starts!" she called out as she vanished into the forest.

Haruto wandered around for over an hour, beating several teams along the way. She took their scrolls, and gave them to other teams out of boredom. It wasn't until she saw a gigantic snake that she stopped.

* * *

"What the…?"

The snake suddenly exploded, revealing a certain Genin…

She followed him to his team, and watched in amazement as he stopped a snake-like shinobi from attacking his friends. While she watched, the snake-shinobi tried to attack them. Finally, she couldn't stand being on the sidelines when the shinobi tried to bite the raven-haired boy.

"Oh no you don't!" she said angrily. Her attack caught him off guard and he broke off.

"Who the hell are you?!" he said irritably.

"The name's Haruto, freak!"

_Did she say her name was Haruto?!_ Naruto thought in shock. Suddenly, he activated the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra to help Sasuke. When the shinobi sealed his demon power away, Haruto felt a surge of energy run throughout her body! It was as if the energy Naruto suddenly lost had changed bodies! Then she heard a voice from within her mind speak to her…

* * *

**Interesting…you seem to be more intelligent than the boy.**

_What the…? Who are you?!  
_**I am the Nine-Tailed Fox.**

_Why are you talking to me?_

**Beats me. All I know is that for some reason you have a telekinetic link to this idiot.**

_Great…so now I have to deal with a fox taking over my body!_

* * *

"What the…? Why does that girl look like Naruto did a second ago?!" said Sakura in surprise.

Haruto went through a series of signs, her hands guided by the Nine-Tailed Fox. She then performed a powerful fire Jutsu. As a result of the flames, her mask covering her face was burned off! The two Leaf Genin looked in shock as they recognized an all-too-familiar pair of whisker-like marks on her cheeks!

"No way…" started Sakura.

"She looks just like…" said Sasuke.

"Naruto!" Sasuke and Sakura said in unison.

"What you lookin at?!" said Haruto annoyed.

The ninja's patience had worn thin; he attacked yet again, only to be blocked by Haruto. He tried biting Sasuke yet again, only this time, he bit someone else! Haruto pushed Sasuke out of the way, and ended up getting a cursed seal on her neck as a result. Naruto yelped in pain, even though he was a fair distance from Haruto. Sasuke was bit a split second later; a seal on his neck. Sasuke let loose a smoke bomb and grabbed Haruto, while Sakura took Naruto. They escaped quickly into the forest; the shinobi didn't bother to follow in pursuit.

* * *

"What the hell was that about?!" said Sasuke.

"I don't know…but these two need help, fast!" said Sakura in concern. They stopped near the base of an old tree; Sasuke got some water while Sakura stayed with the other two. Haruto was running a high fever by the time night fell. Naruto was out cold, and showed no signs of coming too anytime soon. By morning, Sakura was tired. They had slept in shifts, one awake while the other slept. After Sakura got some fresh water, Sasuke spoke up.

"It's strange…"

"What is?"

"The way that girl reacted when Naruto got that seal. And did you notice how he yelped when that guy bit her?"

"I know! Not to mention the fact that they both have whisker-like marks on their face!"

"Something weird is going on here…" said Sasuke quietly. It took Haruto two days to break her fever; Naruto woke an hour after her. Sasuke and Sakura noticed another strange thing about the girl. When she realized Naruto was coming to, she put on her Black Ops mask so he couldn't see her face!

"What happened?" said Naruto groggily. It took him a moment to realize that there was someone wearing a mask beside him.

"That's what we'd love to know!" said Sasuke.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what the hell is going on between you two?!" said Sasuke annoyed.

"Between who?"

"You and that girl with the mask!"

"Who are you anyway?" asked Naruto, turning towards Haruto.

"You can call me Haru."

"Why're you wearing a mask, Haru?"

"I got teased enough in my own village about the birthmarks…" she grumbled.

"Huh?"

"Take off your mask. It's pointless anyway; we've already seen your face!" said Sakura.

"No."

"Either you take it off or I'll do it for you!" said Sasuke irritably.

"I'd like to see you try, punk. I'm a member of the Sand village Black Ops," said Haruto coldly. Sasuke swipe her mask before she could react. Her anger rose quickly; she never noticed Naruto's eyes widening.

"No way…"

"What?!" said Haruto angrily.

"You look…just like me!" Naruto said in surprise.

"So what. I'm sure there are plenty of blue-eyed, blond girls in this village!"

"True, but there aren't many with fox-like whiskers on their face," smirked Sasuke.

"You must have a serious death wish…" she growled.

"Sakura, let's go look around. I have a feeling that the idiot and the Sand chick have something they need to work out," said Sasuke.

"Hai!" she said surprised. They vanished; looking for food and enemy ninja.

* * *

"I never thought I'd see the day that I'd meet someone who annoys me more than Kankuro…" snorted Haruto. She turned, and saw that Naruto was staring at her.

"What're you lookin at?!"

"Before…you said your name was Haruto, right?"

"So?"

"Well it's only a letter away from my name…"

"I don't see what you're getting at."

"What village were you born in?" he asked.

"I was raised in the Sunakagure."

"No, I mean where were you born?"

"My sensei said that I originally came from…this village," Haruto said finally.

"How old are you?"

"Are you an idiot? Everybody knows it's a bad idea to ask a girl her age!"

"Fine then. But I still don't understand…"

"Understand what?"

"Why you seem so familiar to me…"

"…"

_Wait a minute…I felt a connection to him from the moment I first saw him. So why did he feel the same way?!_

"I don't know why you even brought that up."

"I was told…that I have a twin sister. Right before the exam started." Naruto said quietly.

"I highly doubt that you're my brother."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," said Sasuke, who had been listening the whole time.

"GET DOWN HERE SO I CAN KICK YOUR ASS!" growled Haruto angrily. Naruto grinned as he said, "Now that's something I'd pay to see! Sasuke getting his butt whooped by a girl!"

"Care to explain your previous comment?" Haruto said calmly.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you and Naruto were identical twins," said Sakura.

"That's ridiculous!" protested Haruto.

"Is it? You look exactly like Naruto if he was a girl, and your names are only a letter apart. Care to explain how you could be so alike and not be related?" said Sasuke. The two were silent. It was strange how they were almost identical in every way.

"It would definitely explain a few things," said Sakura.

"What do you mean?"

"When that snake guy bit you, Naruto yelped from pain. And when Naruto got that seal on him, you suddenly get a power boost out of nowhere."

"How the hell can we be twins if we come from different villages?!" said Haruto.

"You could have been taken while you were a child and raised in another village…"

"Wait a sec. I think I have a mirror with me…" said Sakura. Sasuke raised his eyebrows, questioning her comment.

"Can you put your hair into pigtails?" asked Sakura.

"I guess I could…" said Haruto as she did so.

"Naruto, use that stupid Jutsu you invented."

"The Sexy Jutsu? What for?"

"Just do it!" said Sakura. Naruto complied and in his place was a female version of himself.

"Now tell me how you two can look identical to one another. See for yourself if you don't believe me," said Sakura. She handed the mirror to the two. Haruto's eyes widened, as did Naruto's.

"I don't believe it…" said Haruto finally.

"We look exactly alike," said Naruto.

"I'd say you two are long-lost twins," said Sasuke amused.

"What's your last name, Haruto?"

"Kazehana. Why?"

"I guess you were adopted after you left the village or something. That's the only explanation for this!" said Sakura.

"Naruto, do you know if you have a twin sister?" asked Sasuke.

"The Hokage told me that I had a sister who was born a minute before I was. But she disappeared the day after."

"We can always ask the Hokage after we get out," said Sakura.

"If anyone can tell if you two are twins, it's him," said Sasuke.

Naruto got an idea which would only make the idea that they were twins more real. He whispered to Haruto his idea, and she agreed to play along with it.

"Wait here a sec." Naruto said, grinning. They disappeared behind a large bush and returned five minutes later.

"What was that about?" asked Sasuke.

"Why don't you guess?" said Haruto (or is it?)

"Hang on a sec…which one of you is Naruto?!" said Sakura.

"Guess."

"I know of one way we can find out," said Sasuke. He threw a Kunai at the two; only Naruto caught it with ease. Haruto jumped back and said, "What'd you do that for?!"

"You're ninja skills still suck, Naruto."

"I'm mildly impressed. How did you know?" asked Haruto.

"Easy. Naruto can't catch kunai; he can only avoid them, if that. So when you caught it, I knew that you two switched."

"Smart ass."

* * *

When they finally reached the center of the forest, Naruto thought of something.

"Hey, Haruto, how'd you like to play a trick on Kakashi-sensei?"

"What kind of trick?"

"Why don't we see if he can tell which of us is which?"

"I would, but he'd be able to tell pretty quickly."

"How come?"

"There's no way I can copy your clothes properly."

"I can fix that, no problem! I got spares at my house!"

"That, and I hate orange. It's way too tacky for my tastes."

"I don't believe it…she has better tastes in clothes than you!" laughed Sasuke.

"Shut up…" grumbled Naruto.


	5. Making up for lost time

**Making up for lost time**

After the preliminaries for the final exam, Naruto and Haruto went to the hospital to see Sasuke. Much to Haruto's amusement, Kakashi couldn't tell that she wasn't a Shadow Clone created by Naruto!

"Naruto, why did you create a clone? There's no need for it now!" said Kakashi.

"Who said I was a clone?" smirked Haruto.

"Anyway, I've already arranged for someone to teach you," said Kakashi.

"Who?"

"It is I," said an all-too-familiar voice.

"YOU! Kakashi-sensei, why do I have to be taught by the super perv?!" whined Naruto.

_Super perv?_

"Ebisu-sensei is a perv?" said Kakashi in surprise. Before Naruto could mention his Harem-Jutsu, which he created after Ebisu didn't fall for the Sexy-Jutsu, his mouth covered by his hand.

"_Keep quiet about that and I'll buy you whatever you want to eat!"_ hissed Ebisu.

"_Promise?"_

* * *

Naruto still didn't like being taught by Ebisu, who came up with an interesting challenge. If Naruto could successfully escape Ebisu, then the perverted sensei would take over enough of Kakashi's duties that he could train Naruto instead! Despite the fact that Haruto helped him, Ebisu still caught him. He ended up treated _both _of them to Ramen.

"Hey, this isn't half bad," commented Haruto.

"Wait a minute…" said Ebisu, suddenly realizing that she wasn't a clone created by Naruto.

"You've never had ramen before Haruto?"

"Nope. The only meal I've had like this was spaghetti. The days I didn't have a home-cooked meal, I hunted my own," replied Haruto. (She tried her best not to laugh at the look on Ebisu-sensei's face!)

"Who are you?!"

"Name's Haruto."

"What?!" said Ebisu; Haruto dropped the transformation Jutsu and finished her bowl.

"What the…?"

"Surprised? I haven't had this much fun…ever!" laughed Haruto.

"Who's your friend, Naruto?" asked the owner of the ramen stand.

"I'm a member of the Sand Black Ops. My name is Haruto. Nice to meet you!" she said cheerfully.

"WHAT!" Ebisu was completely shocked. Not only did this girl look _exactly_ like Naruto, she was also a member of the Sunakagure Black Ops?!

"Hey, Haruto, how come you're in a four-nin team? I thought that there were only three-nin teams," asked Naruto.

"Actually, the only reason I'm on Gaara's team is because the captain said that I had to become a Genin and at least attempt the Chuunin exam once before I can become an official Black Ops member."

They finished filling up at the ramen stand; Haruto nearly died laughing when Ebisu flipped after seeing the bill! She left Naruto to train while she explored more of the village. She met up with Gaara and the others. The next day, she and Naruto went to the Hokage, hoping to solve the question of their relation once and for all.

* * *

"Hokage-sama, we need your help with something," said Naruto.

"What is it, Naruto?"

"You remember that girl that I told you about? The one who seemed familiar?"

"What about her?"

"Well, we kinda met up in the forest and well…"

"We were wondering if you could help us figure out why we look so alike," finished Haruto.

"Is this her?"

"Hai."

"What is your name?"

"Kazehana, Haruto. I'm a Sand Genin," she answered.

"Haruto? Could you take off your mask?"

Haruto removed her Black Ops mask; the Hokage's eyes went up in surprise. He was silent before he said, "Were you born in the Sand village, or were you adopted into it?"

"I was raised in the village, but my sensei told me shortly after we got here that I was originally from here."

"I think you _are _Naruto's lost twin. That explains everything," said the Hokage.

"I'm still not sure…" said Haruto.

"Naruto was born on the night that the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked this village."

"Nine-Tailed Fox?! There's no way it could…"

"What?"

"When we were in the forest, after you got knocked out by the snake freak, I felt this surge and then heard a voice out of nowhere talk to me!"

"A voice?"

"It said its name was the _Nine-Tailed Fox_."

"The Fox spoke to you? How is that possible? It's sealed inside of Naruto!"

"Who sealed the Fox in Naruto?"

"The 4th Hokage. I wonder…is it possible that you two possess a connection because you're identical twins?"

"That might explain it."

"So what now? Haru is a Sand Genin, not to mention she's part of their Black Ops!" said Naruto.

"We'll figure this out after the exams are over," said the Hokage.

"Yes sir," said the twins in unison. The Hokage chuckled as he said, "Naruto in stereo…that's going to take some getting used to!"

"I gotta go back to training. Let's hang out later, okay, sis?" said Naruto.

"Mind if I bring a friend?"

"Who?"

"Gaara. He's my best friend," said Haruto.

"Gaara?!"

"DON'T YOU START TOO! I get enough of this back at the village!" said Haruto annoyed.

"Eep!"

"So where do we meet? And don't say the ramen stand; I remember how much you ate when that perverted Jonin paid the bill!"

"Great…I would have to have an evil twin," grumbled Naruto.

"You want evil, ask Kankuro about how much I enjoy tormenting him," laughed Haru.

"Dare I ask…" muttered Naruto.

* * *

"Haru, where are you taking me?" asked Gaara.

"I told you that it's a surprise! If I hear on more complaint…"

"Gulp…"

"Where…hey, Haru! Over here!" called Naruto.

"Haru… Why is that annoying…?"

"You'll see soon enough. Now can it!" said Haruto, her eyes held a dangerous glint. (Please note that she only has this look when she's about to do something EVIL.)

As she approached, Gaara was becoming more confused by the second. Naruto's grin remained; though even he had no idea of what she had in mind.

"So what's this about, Haru?" asked Gaara.

"Ready?" she grinned. He nodded and performed his own technique. Gaara was still confused.

"Look familiar?" said Haruto as she removed her mask. Gaara's eyes widened in surprise.

"He looks…exactly like you!"

"And to think, all he did was turn into the opposite gender."

"So what's your point?" asked Gaara.

"Don't you get it? Naruto and I are…twins."

"What?"

"It seems that when I was first brought to the village, my twin brother was left behind. Weird huh?" she grinned.

"Let me get this straight…you have a twin brother?"

"Yup."

"And it just happens to be the noisiest Genin in the exams?"

"So it seems," she said.

"This is too much. How can you be sure that you two are twins?"

"First off, we look exactly alike, right down to the whisker marks on our face."

"Secondly, when we were in the forest, we felt each other's pain."

"And finally, when he got knocked out by the snake freak, I not only felt a surge of chakra, I could also hear the demon that was sealed inside him," said Haruto.

"Do I really want to know…"

"Don't ask," said Naruto.

"So why did you bring me?"

"I wanted to make sure you two got along. After all, it wouldn't be a very good if my best friend and twin didn't get along!"

"But…Haru, Gaara kinda creeps me out," admitted Naruto.

"At least he's honest," snorted Gaara.

"Yeah, really."

"So what do you want to do now?"

"How about you show us around the village?" suggested Haruto.

"Works for me," shrugged Naruto. As he showed them the village, Gaara was becoming more bored by the minute. Finally, Haruto let him go back.

* * *

"Naruto, do you know where the Fox was sealed?" asked Haruto.

"Not really. Why?"

"I want to see where it made his last stand," said Haruto.

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Unlike most people, I don't consider demons like the Fox to be evil monsters," said Haruto.

"Why not?"

"I guess it's because I see past the things other people fear. Take Gaara for example; everyone feared and despised him because of the demon inside him. I saw past that and we became friends."

"So…you actually _like _demons?!"

"I could care less whether they're demons or rogue shinobi."

"You are one weird sister…" muttered Naruto.

"Har-har."

* * *

**So you wish to see where I was sealed, eh?**

_Yup._

**I can lead both of you there. But I don't know why you'd want to go there to begin with.**

_Neither do I…But I still want to go._

* * *

The Fox lead the twins to where the last stand was made. Much to Naruto's surprise, it was near where the monument that Kakashi visited often. The Fox was curious when he noticed Haruto was acting differently.

"Hey, sis, are you alright?"

"Yeah… I don't know what that was about. So this is where the 4th Hokage sealed the Kyuubi no Kitsune?"

"So he says…"

**I heard that!**

"I wouldn't recommend talking about Kyuubi like that."

"Wait…did you just tell me not to talk about the Fox badly?!" said Naruto in disbelief.

"Yes. Don't look so surprised. I do this all the time back home," she laughed.

"So where are you staying?" asked Naruto.

"I'm with Gaara and the others."

"I wouldn't mind if you stayed at my house…"

"I better get back. But I'll take you up on that later," said Haruto.

* * *

"So how was your tour with the noisy fool?" asked Gaara.

"It was better than listening to a certain _someone's_ whining all day," she retorted.

"Who would that be?"

"Kankuro, who else?"

"So why _did _you spend hours with him?" asked Kankuro.

"None of your damn business," said Haruto angrily.

That night, Gaara and Temari talked to Haruto.

"Haruto, what were you doing with him?" asked Temari.

"Is Kankuro or sensei around? Or in hearing range?"

"No," Gaara said with certainty.

"Can you make sure they can't tell what I'm about to tell you?"

Gaara formed a sound barrier that not even the genin from the Sound village could break.

"Temari, Gaara already knows about this, but I found out I have a twin brother," said Haruto.

"You have a twin? Who is it?"

"That boy who for some reason doesn't mind wearing almost all orange," said Haruto.

"You don't mean that loudmouth, Naruto do you?!"

"That's the one," said Haruto.

"Man…I don't envy you at all," said Temari.

"Hey, at least he's no where near as obnoxious as Kankuro."

"Good point!" laughed Temari. They spent the rest of the night mocking Kankuro.


	6. A mysterious new pet

**A mysterious new pet**

_A small furry creature wandered around aimlessly around the forest. It was lost; it had no where to go. It came across a village full of humans; maybe one of them could help it. It went into the village, looking for someone, anyone, who could help it. Suddenly, it felt someone picking it up; he looked up to see…a blond girl with blue eyes. She grinned._

"Now what are you supposed to be?" she said.

"Kyu!" the creature said.

_Why does this thing seem so familiar…? Wait a minute! Could this be…?!  
_

"Um…With?"

"Kyu! Kyu!" said With.

"I don't believe it! You are Wiz!" said Haruto.

"Kyu," said Wiz.

"How on earth did you end up here? I thought you were supposed to be with Dark and his Tamer Daisuke Niwa!"

"Kyu…"

"You can stay with me until they find you, okay?"

"KYU!"

* * *

"What the…! What is that supposed to be?!" said Kankuro and Temari in unison.

"It's a rabbit."

"I've seen a rabbit in books before, and that ain't a rabbit," said Kankuro.

"It's a floppy-eared rabbit, moron."

"It isn't a rabbit."

"Get 'em Wiz!" said Haruto evilly. When Wiz looked at her she grinned and said, "It's Krad in human form."

"KYU!!!" cried Wiz as he unmercifully attacked Kankuro. Temari watched him for a second before she burst out laughing!

"Meet Wiz. He's quite amusing when you give him the right motivation."

* * *

"Hey sis! Uh, what's with the weird rabbit?" asked Naruto.

"I told you it was a rabbit!" said Haruto, looking at Temari and Gaara.

"All right, all right…you win the bet," grumbled Temari.

"Haru, what's going on?" asked Naruto.

"I made a bet saying this little guy was a rabbit and they lost."

"What else could it be?"

"An oversized rodent with a long tail," said Gaara.

"Watch it Gaara… I tell people not to fear you after they find out we're friends," said Haruto annoyed.

"Point taken," said Gaara.

"What's its name?" asked Naruto.

"It, as you call him, is named Wiz, or sometimes With."

"Wait…how do you know that?"

"I read…a lot."

"What do you mean?" they asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. And before you even think of trying to convince me, I ain't talking."

"But…!"

"Drop it!" growled Haruto. (Her tone suggested something…EVIL…would happen if they pressed her any more.)

* * *

As the final exam drew closer, Naruto still couldn't master the art of Summoning. Then Jiraiya had an idea. It was crazy and insane, but it could work. IF HE COULD GET HARUTO TO COOPERATE!!!!

"Why won't you at least try?!"

"Easy, me and swamp creatures DO NOT MIX. Do you even know what my version of hell on earth would be like?!"

"No."

"Have you ever been to the Hidden Mist village?"

"Yes, several times. Why?"

"Imagine a SAND Genin stuck there for two years straight, no contact with Sunakagure at all."

"That would probably be a nightmare."

"And imagine the Genin being an in-training Black Ops girl."

"Even bigger nightmare?" said Jiraiya, apparently not getting the point.

"You got stuck in the Mist village for two years straight? Man, that would probably be a living hell for someone from the Sand village!" said Naruto.

"How ironic…"

"What?"

"You get the point and this perverted sage doesn't!" snorted Haruto.

"I get it alright. Frogs usually come from swamps, don't they?"

"Normally yes," said Jiraiya.

"Well, Haru is a Sand Genin Black Op. So if she were stuck in the Mist village for 2 years. She had to deal with all sorts of creatures, frogs included."

"How is it that the so-called Village Idiot understands my point, yet the perverted sage can't get it through his thick head?"

"Thanks…I think."

"Naruto, who is this girl anyway?!" grumbled Jiraiya.

"She's my twin, Haruto."

"Haruto?! You've got to be kidding!"

"It's better than being a perverted sage named Jiraiya."

"She got you there."

Jiraiya shot Naruto a death-glare. Haruto shot one right back. (The only difference was, Haruto was more experienced with shooting death-glares!)

"Give me one good reason WHY I should even attempt this," said Haruto.

"You two are twins, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, that means you share identical blood. Naruto made the blood-pact on the scroll…so, there's a chance she could perform the Summoning Jutsu because of you two being identical twins."

"That is one of the most…!"

"I don't know…it kinda makes sense," said Naruto.

"What do I have to do?" sighed Haruto.

"I'll show you the moves; all you have to do is repeat the moves exactly."

"Fair enough. But if this doesn't work, (which I suspect it won't), then you never bother me about it again!"

"Deal."

Jiraiya showed her the moves, which she repeated _exactly_. At first, nothing happened; then, a familiar seal followed a large puff of smoke. When it dissipated, a frog sat there on a stone and said, "Whadda want?! I was in the middle of something here!"

"What the…?! Great…just freakin great…" said Haruto in disbelief.

"How is it your twin can summon correctly on the first try and you can barely get a tadpole?"

"Shaddup…"

"Maybe it's because Naruto doesn't _have_ enough chakra readily available. That could be the problem."

"We've been trying to get your brother to access the Kyuubi's chakra at will. You can see how far we've gotten…"

"You've been trying to get Kyuubi no Kitsune's chakra?! You must be a complete IDIOT!!" said Haruto in disbelief.

She left after the frog went back; she gave Jiraiya a look that said, "Bug me again about this and I will _kill _you!"

* * *

In the end, Jiraiya did something that did not sit well with either Gaara OR Naruto. Instead of throwing just ONE of the twins over the falls, he pushed _BOTH _of them over. Haruto was horrified…well, horrified and royally pissed off at the sage! She could tell immediately that trying to grab the rocks that jetted outward was pointless. She had no idea of what she could do…then it hit her.

"WITH!"

"Kyu?" said the furry rabbit-like creature. It took one look at the two of them descending and transformed into a pair of jet-black wings. With then attached himself onto her back and she took flight. She had With take her back to the top of the cliff and looked for Jiraiya. (When she found the sage…well, let's just say it won't be pretty!)

"Where is he?! Where the hell is that perverted sage?! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU WILL DIE!!!" roared Haruto. (Jiraiya took cover from her pretty quick. He may be a perverted fool, but even he knew when it was a good idea to NOT get caught!)

She saw out of the corner of her eye that Naruto had summoned a frog…but not just ANY frog! He had somehow managed to summon the Gamma Bunta, aka the Chief Toad! She was amused, and then she immediately went back to her search for Jiraiya. She finally gave up when she realized Naruto was in the Hospital…he used too much chakra when he summoned the Chief Toad. She decided to continue flying around, just to make sure that Jiraiya didn't try anything under her nose. Gaara saw her and his jaw literally dropped.

"What the…?!"

"Eh…? Gaara saw me! Cool."

"Kyu…"

"Sorry Wiz. Why don't we land? I'll even get ya some fresh strawberries," said Haruto.

"Kyu!" Wiz said happily.

"Aren't you glad I read a lot? I know where I can get some too!"

* * *

As they landed, Gaara approached her with a look of disbelief on his face.

"How…? What…?!"

"With can change into a pair of pitch-black wings. It's a good thing I remembered that or I'd be dead right now."

"Why's that?"

"Have you heard of the three Sannin?"

"You mean the three trained by the Hokage? Why?"

"Let's just say I now have a score to settle with the Toad Sage…" said Haruto annoyed. Before he could ask, she shot him a look that told him not to press further.

"So what're you going to do now?"

"Beats me… I let you know when I come up with something," said Haruto as she went off to give Wiz his treat. Wiz was in his happy place as he munched on the berries; Haruto held back a chuckle at the sight. As she sat on the bench with Wiz, she thought of something.

* * *

"Hey Wiz…how would you like to learn some ninja arts? It's not as hard as learning to talk," said Haruto.

"Kyu?"

"I could teach you some hand signs, and some words and you'd be like Akamaru. You could protect yourself without Dark's help at all. What do you think?"

"Kyu…!"

"You know, you could transform into a human here. Unlike the town where Dark lives, no one will think anything of you turning into a human. Want to see?" said Haruto with a grin. Wiz thought about this before he turned into an exact double of Daisuke, his owner. People saw him change, but thought nothing of it at all. They went about as they were, not caring that a floppy-eared rabbit suddenly became a human. Wiz turned to say "Special training?"

"Yup…I'll give you some fun and easy training Wiz, on one condition."

"Kyu?"

"If someone asks your name, please, PLEASE don't say it's Daisuki!" said Haruto in a serious tone. Wiz gave her a confused look, so she explained.

"My friends, they haven't had time to learn how to react to you in your rabbit form. If they hear you say Daisuki, they'll get ideas that'll cause me problems, 'kay?"

"Okay…Kyu!"

"You're all right by me, Wiz. Now, do you want to get started now or tomorrow?"

"Um…what is now?" said Wiz confused.

"It means we start right away and don't wait until morning," said Haruto. Wiz thought about it, then turned to the berries.

"Or to be more specific, we start _after _you finish your berries. That sound good to you?"

"Fun-fun time!" replied Wiz. Haruto laughed as she said, "You're hopeless!"

After Wiz filled up with strawberries, Haruto turned to him and said, "Ready to start?"

"Kyu!"

* * *

"In that case, there's something I want to get out of the way. Wiz, can you say Haruto? Say Ha-ru-to."

"Ha-ru-no?"

"Ha-ru-to, not Ha-ru-no. Say it with me, Ha-ru-to."

"Ha-ru-go?"

"Ha-ru-to."

"Ha-ru-do?"

"Just say Ha-ru."

"Ha-ru."

"If you need me to help you, all you have to do is say Haru, okay?"

"Haru?"

"Yup…Haru. That's should be easier to for you to say than my full name. That, and I won't get confused if you say my brother's name, which is very similar to mine."

"Hey, Haru, who's this kid?" said Temari.

"He's not a kid actually…" said Haruto, quickly preventing Wiz from saying 'Daisuki' in front of Temari.

"Then what is he?"

"You can go back to your regular form, With."

"Kyu!" said Wiz as he returned to rabbit form.

"What the…?"

"Wiz can transform into other things. I was teaching him how to say my name when you came up," said Haruto.

"O-kay… I have only one more question though. Why did he turn into a red-haired, red-eyed boy?"

"He turned into his original owner, named Daisuke Niwa. I guess it was easier for him to take Daisuke's form."

"Can he talk to?" joked Temari.

"Wiz, why don't you show her?" said Haruto; Wiz transformed back into Daisuke and said, "Haru."

"Woah… That is just plain creepy. I guess I'll see you back at the room then. By the way, I do NOT recommend letting Kankuro know that he can transform _and _talk."

"I had NO intention of letting him find out anyway."

* * *

As the days before the exam closed in, Haruto and Wiz were hard at work. She was surprised that Wiz could perform the hand signs and remember their meaning without a problem; she was even more surprised that he _remembered_ names and who they go to easy! She had thought that teaching him would be hard, considering the fact that he didn't like learning new words.

"Huh…I guess the creator of the manga got your profile wrong. That, or Daisuke just didn't know the best way to teach you stuff…"

"Kyu…"

"Don't worry Wiz. I'm sure Daisuke and Dark are looking for you right now."

"Kyu!"


	7. Haruto's decision

**Haruto's decision**

After the plan began, Haruto did _not_ follow Gaara and the others, she stayed behind for her own reasons. She was somewhat torn; she couldn't help the Leaf ninja defeat her village, but she couldn't stand by while innocent people got hurt. She remembered what she had seen while on her seek-and-maim mission for Jiraiya. She couldn't believe it at the time, but when she went back, she realized the truth. Who ever was behind the plan, it wasn't the Kazekage!

Then it hit her; she could help the Leaf shinobi and still not be considered a traitor to her village. She ran from the stadium, her mask covering her identity. She noticed that several in-training ninja were moving in the direction of the Hokage monument. She saw one of her fellow Sand ninja approach; she could either sit back and watch the battle, _or_ she could prevent it from happening altogether! She chose the latter option.

* * *

"_I'd get out of sight if I were you."_

"What…?! Who said that?" said Iruka.

"_I said you should get out of sight, the sooner the better. Enemy shinobi are heading in this direction. Unless you want to endanger the students, get out of sight NOW."_

"Who are you?! Show yourself!" said Iruka.

"Fine…if you pipe down!" said Haruto as she emerged from the shadows. Iruka and the other teachers immediately went on guard when they saw her headband which was around her neck like a scarf.

"Who are you and why are you here?" said Iruka.

"I'm just trying to prevent a fight from breaking out between my village and you lot. Unlike most of my comrades, I actually CARE about what happens to the village. You can either take my advice and get out of sight fast, or you can get into a potentially disastrous fight. Your choice."

"Why should we trust you? How do we know you're telling the truth?"

"Ask the runts with the goggles. They should recognize me pretty easily," said Haruto as she removed her mask, revealing her face.

"Hey…I remember you! You were the one who stopped that mean Sand Genin from hurting me when they first got here!" said Konohamaru.

"Are you positive it's the same girl, Konohamaru?"

"Yep…I'd recognize her eyes anywhere! They're the same as Naruto's!"

"Look, you can either take my advice or not. I'm just trying to help you guys without being branded a traitor by my village."

"Tell me your name first," said Iruka.

"It's Kazehana, _Haruto._ I'll try to divert their attention long enough for you to escape."

"Come everyone, let's keep going," said Iruka finally.

"Iruka, are you really going to trust this girl? She's one of them!" said one of his fellow teachers.

"Don't ask me why, but something tells me that she is honestly trying to help. My only question is, why does she care about this village to begin with?"

"I was born here, idiot. That, and I don't want to lose my twin after finding him after all these years," snorted Haruto.

* * *

The class and the teachers _did_ take her advice and took cover. She went to her fellow Sand ninja and gave them a false sighting; they immediately headed towards where she pointed. She then headed towards where the most action was. The commanding Jonin saw her and demanded that she identify herself.

"I am Kazehana Haruto, youngest member of the Sunakagure Black Ops."

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" he said. Haruto smirked, and then looked at one of the Sound ninjas close by.

"_Sand Burial."_ Haruto said and close her fist; sand came out of nowhere and surrounded her hapless victim.

"_Sand Coffin!"_ she said clearly and watched as the man was crushed by the sand.

"Very well, you pass. Care to explain why you killed one of our allies, Miss Kazehana?"

"Easy; something's wrong with this whole attack. I think we've been deceived by our so called 'Kazekage'."

"What makes you say that?"

"I found something suspicious outside the village a few miles from this point. I stumbled upon his corpse and the corpses of his Black Op bodyguards while I was trying to locate someone else."

"What! Are you positive beyond a doubt that it was the Kazekage?!"

"It looked like they'd been there for some time, but I'm certain it was them. Whoever gave the orders to attack the village is an imposter. I don't know if you guys noticed, but for the past few weeks he's been acting strangely. That's what got me to take a closer look at the bodies."

"Describe the surroundings so I can send someone to investigate this immediately."  
Haruto gave the description of the area, and three of the Jonin went to find out if she was telling the truth.

"If you are telling the truth, why did you not come to us sooner?"

"If I was wrong, then it would have compromised the mission. But the one thing that really made me suspect he was an imposter was when I saw the overgrown serpents. That alone told me something was very wrong."

"Why is that?"

"Since when does our village use that _particular_ breed of snakes? They look too much like the ones I encountered when I was stuck in the Mist village for two years. Not to mention the fact that I was attacked by someone riding a snake similar to these during the second part of the exam."

"Until they return, I want you to lead a unit to search for any Leaf shinobi you can find. If you encounter them, kill them. Is this understood?"

"Hai! There's one thing though."

"What?"

"I don't recommend putting ANY Sound shinobi in my group. I might accidentally-on-purpose attack them. I didn't like their genin, and I do NOT want to deal with them any more than I have to."

"That sounds reasonable. Very well…no Sound shinobi in your group. You three! Go with Kazehana and begin searching!"

"HAI!"

They systematically attacked the Leaf forces they did find. Unknown to her fellow Sand shinobi however, Haruto wasn't killing the shinobi. She only knocked them out and made it _look_ like she killed them. 

When the Leaf's counter-attack finally went into effect, she immediately _ditched_ her unit and began her own assault on the serpents. She quickly disposed of one and was about to go after another when she came face-to-face with the instructor from the _first_ part of the exam!

* * *

"What do you think you're doing?!"

"What does it look like? I'm dealing with these annoying snakes!" she retorted.

"You are a Sand Genin, correct? So why are you helping us _save _the village when yours is attacking ours?!"

"Do you really want to know?" she said; he gave her a look that said yes, "It's because I was originally _born_ in this village. And my twin still lives here. So why wouldn't I try to help?"

"Maybe because you'll be branded a traitor to your village?"

"Look, I had to spend 2 years stuck in the Hidden Mist village. I'm a Sand kunoichi, so it was practically my own hell-on-earth. These…SNAKES are almost identical to the ones I had to deal with in that blasted place! Why wouldn't I want to kill them?!"

"So you're just going to tell them that they reminded you of the Mist village? I highly doubt that they'll buy it."

"Well, even if they don't, they still won't accuse me of being a traitor since this whole attack wasn't staged by the real Kazekage. And since I was the one who found that fool's body, they won't care that I helped you lot."

Before he could say anything else, she pushed him out of the way of the snake's heads that was crashing down on them. She retaliated by killing the snake with one blow from her shurinkens. It whizzed around momentarily before flying back to her awaiting hand.

Then she saw…_HIM_. The legendary Toad Sage, Jiraiya. Her eyes filled with rage; she launched three of her custom shurinkens at him, all of which he narrowly avoided! The moment he turned to see _who_ threw the weapons, he realized he was in serious trouble. The look Haruto had in her eyes said that if she got within striking range of him, she wouldn't hesitate to kill. He keeps his distance from her, hoping she won't come in for the kill, as it were.

"Why are you attacking one of the Sannin?"

"That moron pushed me over the side of a cliff with jagged rocks jetting out in irregular intervals! He put me in danger for what he called…_motivation_, for my twin!"

"Ah…"

The snakes were killed fairly soon after that; Jiraiya kept a good distance from Haruto. When the assault was over, they heard what had happened to the third Hokage. Though they had misgivings, Haruto was allowed to live in Konoha.

* * *

"Why are you staying here?" said Gaara.

"I have two reasons."

"It's Naruto isn't it? You've been acting different since you found out he was your twin!"

"That's the second reason. My main reason _should _be acceptable for the Captain of the Black Ops."

"What? I seriously doubt that he'll let you get away with staying here," said Kankuro.

"Ever hear about the Toad Sage Jiraiya?"

"Isn't he one of the legendary Sannin?" said Temari.

"He's also the author of… (ugh)...Come Come Paradise."

"Isn't that a…?"

"Yes, it's a major piece of trash. If I ever get my hands on a copy, I'll start a bonfire with it!" said Haruto.

"What about him?" asked their sensei.

"I have a score to settle with that… (BLEEP)!! If I ever get my hands on him… well, let's just say you'll have trouble findings all the pieces of his body."

"Yikes…I'm glad I'm not on your 'soon-to-be-dead' list. I thought the Kazekage was on the top of the list. Or to be more exact, he was the list," said Kankuro.

"He's dead, so I can't show him how much I enjoyed helping Gaara kill the assassins that he sent. Now, Jiraiya the Toad Sage is the list. Though Orochimaru is close to making it…"

"I almost feel sorry for him," said Kankuro.

"You've always been a pain-in-the-ass, but you never did anything to _really _set me off. And so long as you don't give me a reason to put you on my list, then you won't have to keep looking over your shoulder worrying that a demon will come to rip you to shreds from the shadows," said Haruto with a laugh. (Kankuro gulped. _Thank you mental images!_)

"So you won't come back until you settle things with him?" said Gaara.

"Or until I have a good reason to. Either way, I _will_ come back to the village. I won't be doing another 2-year away like last time," replied Haruto.

"That's reassuring…" said Gaara.

"So, I'll see you guys later then?" said Haruto.

"Sure…I guess…" said Gaara.

* * *

Little did she know that another person would be a potential 'list' victim. A 'list victim' as Kankuro had once dubbed them, was someone who had pushed Haruto too far. By too far, they were in danger of death. The Kazekage was the first person to make her infamous 'list'. They had thought that she wouldn't add another for many years; Jiraiya was an exception.

As the shock of the Chuunin exams slowly died, another would begin. And this would shake Team 7 to the core. It was…_Sasuke's older brother, Itachi Uchiha!_ Itachi had massacred his clan, leaving only Sasuke alive. Sasuke had vowed to avenge his clan, a vow he still keeps to this day. He would never rest until he killed his older brother.

Itachi arrived close to the village shortly after the exam ended. His reasons for appearing were unknown to everyone but himself. As he entered the village, he quietly knocked out the guard. They walked into the village without a fuss.

* * *

"Naruto…don't tell me you're eating Ramen again for breakfast!" said Haruto in dismay.

"You better believe it! I have a free meal ticket and I'm gonna use it!"

"You gave your last one away to Konohamaru, baka."

"No I didn't!"

"Then where is it then?"

"I know I have it somewhere…"

"Oh Wiz…wanna help this fool find it?"

"Kyu!!"

Wiz managed to sniff out the coupon, which Naruto put behind his forehead protector to prevent losing it during his morning training. Haruto grinned and said, "Looks like you have to treat Wiz with some ramen too."

"Fair enough sis. You comin too?"

"Nah…you know I'm not a big fan of ramen for breakfast. I gotta go…there's something I need to deal with right now. I'll see you later bro."


	8. Haruto's 'list'

**Haruto's 'list'**

Itachi had cornered the two Jonin that came after him. Before he could give a killing blow, however, his kunai was blocked by a bizarre shaped shurinkens; its design suggested it was a Demon Wind Shurinken, yet there was something off about it. It soon became clear that the shurinken was being controlled, yet Itachi was unable to identify its origin. Then he finally noticed a lone ninja passing by; he immediately threw several shurinkens at him.

* * *

"Don't tell me you think you can hit me with those wimpy things," he snorted.

"Who are you?" Itachi retorted.

"Whatever… Get lost, 'cause I'm busy. Let's see…target number 12…name: Kabuto Yakushi. Former Leaf shinobi, recently branded a traitor for consorting with Orochimaru the Snake Freak against the village. Target number 13…name: Uchiha Itachi. Branded a rogue Nin by…what the…?! Great…another Sharingan Moron. I hope he doesn't come here any time soon in the mood I'm in," snorted the boy.

"You are Naruto, yes?" said Kisame annoyed.

"And you're a fish-faced freak. What's your point?" he retorted.

"Itachi, isn't he the one we're after?"

"Hai…get him."

"Come here you little…!"

Naruto avoided his attack and kept walking, mumbling all the way while reading, as if he were trying to memorize something. Kisame tried again and this time Naruto noticed his headband.

"Oy, Asuma-san! Is this guy a rogue Nin?" called Naruto. The next page flew on Naruto's book; he looked at it and said, "Never mind."

"Heh…so there's a rogue Mist Nin in the village. It's about time I had some fun around here!" said Naruto evilly.

* * *

"Odd…since when does the village dobe have a black book with names of rogue Nin?" said Itachi before he went to kill Kuranai again.

"Oh no you don't!" said Naruto as the shuriken from earlier struck Itachi again; even though Naruto hadn't thrown it.

"And to answer your question, you Sharingan Moron, I just got the updated version of the Black Ops Bingo book an hour ago. My old one was four years outdated."

"Since when are you allowed to have the bingo book?!" said Kuranai.

"Since I graduated from the class when I was nine. Oh course, then again you didn't know when I graduated so…" smirked Naruto.

"Wait a minute…Naruto, why are you wearing your goggles and not your headband?" said Asuma, the sensei for Shikimaru, Ino, and Choji.

"Because they won't give my headband back to me. Hopefully they'll reconsider after I suggested the trade..."

"What trade?"

"A mask for the headband."

A second shurinken comes flying at Naruto, who catches it with practiced ease. Attached to it are a note, a headband, and a certain mask. The note read: We have considered your suggestion of allowing you to keep your original headband and not your mask. We agree to this and have also agreed to let you work with our Black Ops force.

* * *

"Finally! It was weird not havin' my headband around my neck!" said Naruto as he tied it securely around his neck like a scarf.

"Wait a second…a Black Ops shinobi and wearing it around his neck? You're Haru, aren't you!" said Kuranai.

"Duh…Wasn't it obvious? Why else would I ignore a rogue shinobi from this village?" snorted Haru.

"Haru…who's Haru?" said Kisame and Itachi.

"Wouldn't you like to know Fish Face!"

"Itachi, since this kid isn't our target, can I…?"

"Yes…he is unnecessary. Kill him."

"Kuranai…who would win in a battle of power, a rogue shinobi or a kunoichi in a bad mood?" said Haru.

"I've heard this joke before. The kunoichi would win," said Kuranai.

"It isn't a joke. But you did get the answer right. The kunoichi would win because there's something that most people don't realize about girls. _They hit harder when they're angry at something!_" said Haru as she punched Kisame. When her fist made contact with the rogue Nin, he was literally sent flying! A shurinken flies out of nowhere and frees Kuranai.

"You two can deal with the Sharingan MORON. I've got some issues with the fish face."

* * *

"Who are you and what village do you hail from?" asked Itachi.

"Can't you tell?!" said Haru in surprise.

"I can see you're obviously a Leaf Genin…but you don't seem like the average Genin here at all."

"That's because I decided to help out after the last incident. Because I was originally born here, the elders let me stay and help repair the damage my comrades did."

"So…you weren't raised here. That means you got lucky and were allowed to stay. Interesting. Kisame! Kill the brat, but take her shurinkens; they're unusual enough that they may be worth looking at!" said Itachi suddenly.

"Will do… I was hoping you'd let me kill this runt anyway!" said Kisame. He tries to strike Haru with his sword, yet he misses yet again, this time with a different result. Haru jumped on his sword and smirked.

"Your overgrown _cheese shredder_ can't hit me, idiot."

This comment causes his sword, Samehada, to attempt getting the arrogant Genin OFF. It responds with a flurry of spikes directed only at Haru. She grins…and blows them all away from her by using her shurinkens.

* * *

Unlike most shinobi, Haru doesn't carry around ANY of the normal sized shurinkens. She only carries her custom-made throwing stars that greatly resemble the Demon Wind Shuriken. She considers regular shurinkens too weak, even when chakra is added to enhance them.

* * *

Itachi is caught off guard when Samehada released the spikes; he didn't expect the sword to be so offended. (Samehada is a sentient sword which means it's _alive_.)

"Kisame…why are you taking so long to kill this boy?" said Itachi, starting to become annoyed.

"What…did…you…call…me?!" said Haru through gritted teeth.

"A boy, a pathetic brat. You're as bad as my little brother was."

"I…AM…NOT…A…BOY!!! I'M A KUNOICHI, YOU MORON!!!!" roared Haru angrily.

"What? Then why are you dressed like one?" retorted Asuma.

"Watch it pal. You're close to landing on my 'list'. And the only one I have a score to settle with right now is Jiraiya the pervert!" said Haruto.

"What list?" said Itachi.

"A certain idiot I know once called it my 'soon-to-be-dead list'. Anyone on it better watch their backs. I've been known to bring out demons that rip people to shreds."

"You almost had me for a moment there. There's no way you can release demons to do you bidding without getting killed in the process," said Itachi.

"Who said I was a normal girl? Unlike you lot, I _can _bring demons to this world to kill for me. They really don't care anyway…if it's me that brought them that is. Anyone else, they tear them apart until it's almost impossible to pick up all the pieces."

"Show me…" said Itachi, who still didn't believe her.

"And give you the opportunity to copy it?! Fat chance, you imbecilic Sharingan Moron."

* * *

"Ouch… She got you good on that one, Uchiha Itachi," said another Sharingan user.

"Hatake Kakashi."

"Not bad Haru-chan. Why is it that you can hold your own against high-level shinobi and your brother can't even handle the usual ones?" he joked.

"I paid attention in class. That's the only reason that I was allowed to skip half the courses in Black Ops training."

"So you claim."

"What do you want, Kakashi?" replied Haru.

"I came here to see how these two were doing. I got worried when I sent them to deal with the two I saw earlier."

Even with Kakashi fighting as well, they were still in trouble thanks to Itachi. When Itachi unleashed his Mangekyo Sharingan, or Kaleidoscope Copy Wheel Eye on them, Kakashi told everyone to close their eyes. The only one who ignored his order was Haru; she just covered her eyes with Naruto's old goggles.

"Like he could kill me with that half-assed move," she said bored.

* * *

When Kakashi was sent to Itachi's Genjustu, Haru was taken too because she didn't follow Kakashi's warning. As Itachi tortured the two of them, he was shocked that Haru didn't even show any pain or scream.

"Odd…do you not feel my blade, little brat?" said Itachi.

"I feel it. I've developed a particular technique to deal with ridiculous Justus like yours."

"Oh? What might that be?"

"Easy…I just remember that there are worse places to be than in a Genjustu. Take my home for example…"

"So you claim. So you claim," said Itachi before he continued his attack. Haru continued to show no response whatsoever; this completely caught Kakashi and Itachi by surprise. When the Genjustu faded, only Haru was able to remain standing. Kakashi collapsed from the pain.

* * *

"Impossible…that girl withstood your assault with the ultimate Sharingan?!" said Kisame in shock.

"Of course I withstood it! What the hell did you expect?! I went out into storms that came close to literally scrape the skin off of me and leave only bones, and that's only if I were very lucky!" snorted Haru.

"What kind of storms?" said Itachi, who had decided to see if he could copy her trick.

"Do you _really _want to know, or would you prefer I show it to you directly?" she smirked; she had one trick that not even the Sharingan could duplicate.

"Show me. Otherwise you're bluffing and I will have NO use for you at all."

"Suits me just fine. I had a feeling that I would use this Jutsu soon, and that's why I had it cut to match that knucklehead."

"So that's why you looked like him!" said Kuranai in surprise.

"Yup…now, to deal with you morons," said Haru as she brought out what looked like strands of hair… _"Summoning Jutsu!!" _

At first, nothing noticeable happened other than the wind dying down. Then, the whistling started. She threw the strands at Itachi and Kisame; a whirlwind erupted in the direction she threw them at. Soon, a full-blown windstorm appeared and the rogue Nin were in the middle of it. Sand blew everywhere, surrounding anyone caught in the storm; the wind was moving at such a speed that it could kill. When the wind died down, Haruto was amused to see them both still standing alive.

"So that's the country you hail from. No wonder you could injure me and survive an attack from Kisame…" said Itachi.

"You can't tell where someone is from by their Jutsu, Itachi," said Kisame.

"In her case I can. She doesn't like the Mist village, she deals with demons, and the storms can scrape the skin off completely. Obviously she's a Genin from Sunakagure."

* * *

"Kazehana Haru. I was permitted to live here due to the fact that this village is where I was born," said Haru calmly.

"How old are you?"

"They said you were a genius…but after that question I think they were off!" said Haru annoyed.

"What?"

"Don't you know anything, Itachi? _Never ask a woman her age._" Kuranai said, trying not to laugh.

At this point, Haruto's least favorite Jonin arrived. He helped Kakashi and the others; Itachi decided that to remain in the village would be a waste of time. But his decision came too late.

He had made…_the LIST!!!_

* * *

"This is new. I've never had 2 people on the 'list' before," said Haru calmly.

"I still don't get this 'list' thing. What's this about?" said Gai.

"I call it a 'list' because it has the names of people I'm inclined to send demons after and kill them. The first person I put was the Kazekage, who… (unfortunately for me)…died thanks to Orochimaru. He was the only person to tick me off enough that I wanted to kill him."

"So what happened? Why didn't you?"

"I tried, but the damn bodyguards always stopped the demons from inflicting mortal injury to the bastard."

"So what now?" said Asuma.

"I'm going after Itachi. If he's after my brother, then I have to stop him."

"How will you do that? Itachi killed his entire clan except for Sasuke, and a good majority of them were highly-skilled Jonin!" said Kuranai.

"Simple. I do the one thing he can't copy, even with that Sharingan of his. And since he can't copy it, he can't counter. Though how he survived that mini-sandstorm I'll never know."

"How were you able to bring that out anyway? I didn't see you use any blood required!" said Gai.

"I take it you were watching?"

"Right around the time Kakashi collapsed."

"Then you saw the strands of hair I threw. I don't need to use blood to summon that, I use my hair. They're not too different."

"So tell me more about your list. You mentioned that one of the Sannin was on it. Care to explain why?" said Kuranai.

"He pushed me and Naruto off of a cliff with jagged rocks jutting out everywhere. I can understand why he did that to Naruto, but to go out of the way to knock me out and push me off with him? That really pissed me off. So he ended up on the 'list'."

As Haruto spoke with the Jonin, Sasuke came in. Another shinobi burst in asking if it was true that Itachi had returned as was after Naruto. Sasuke bolted out at this, searching for his brother or Naruto. Haruto decided it would be wise to find her brother before either Uchiha did.


	9. Blood contract with demons

**Blood contract with demons**

After Sasuke found Itachi (along with Naruto and Kisame) he went at his former older brother with full intent to kill him. Itachi not only evaded the attack, he sent it at the wall. None of them noticed that someone was there in an instant until Naruto tried to help Sasuke. Kisame struck the wall of chakra Naruto emitted; it vanished completely. Naruto couldn't bring it out for a while; his Jutsus were useless.

"Naruto, you're such a fool," Haruto said from the hole Sasuke made in the wall.

"What the…Haru, when did you…?" stammered Naruto.

"Impossible. How are you able to stand on nothing?!" said Kisame. Haruto just grinned, she was at least a foot from the hole and there was nothing underneath her feet to support her, just air.

"Wouldn't you like to know…" said Haruto, her grin quickly turning into a smirk.

"Haru…how are you standing on air if Wiz isn't with you?" said Naruto.

"Oh, that's right! I completely forgot he was with you. I got too caught up dealing with these two idiots," said Haruto. Wiz stuck his head out and said, "Kyu!"

"Wiz, stay with Naruto. By the way, do you mind if I borrow your friend Naruto?" said Haruto calmly.

"What friend?"

"The one you never go anywhere without. The one that I get along with and you don't."

"Oh, _that_ friend. Sure, if you can. I could care less about him," said Naruto when he realized _who_ she was referring to.

"I'm sure he'll enjoy this more than I will," said Haruto as she allowed Kyuubi to come out of Naruto and into her. Her eyes glowed for a moment before they died down to a purplish color.

"Woah…how'd ya do that?" said Naruto.

"Can't say. Besides, you'll never be able to do it if you tried."

"Why not?" asked Naruto.

"Because you don't like demons and I do," said Haruto. That alone shut him up.

"What did you do?!" said Itachi.

"I gave Kyuubi a chance to fight after all these years."

"…"

When Itachi beat Sasuke, he went after Haruto full force. She evaded and struck back; Kisame tried to drain her chakra with Samehada, to no avail. She was too powerful for the sword to take any of her chakra that would have any effect. 

"I don't get it. I was able to take the boy's chakra, yet I can't take hers? Why?" Kisame said confused.

_

* * *

He's right… he was able to drain both of you chakra. So why can't he take mine?!_

_**Maybe because there's more than one Tailed-Beast inside you right now?**_

_SHUKAKU?! What're you doing here? I thought you went with Gaara!_

_**He told me to keep an eye on you. I've been inside you since they went back to the village.**_

_If that's true, then why haven't you been eating away at my personality?_

_**You are the only human I like; the same can probably be said of fox-face over there.**_

**Touché. And don't call me fox-face, raccoon-boy. Call me Tails instead.**

_So I can have more than one of the legendary Tailed Beasts inside me?_

_**Why are you so surprised? You DID enter a Blood Contract with demons after all.**_

_I did? When?_

_**When you not only accepted Gaara, but also took the burden of bearing my powers on yourself for reasons other than personal gain.**_

**And the fact that your twin brother had ME sealed inside him didn't hurt either.**

_Did I enter into a Blood Contract with anything else?_

_**I'm pretty sure you did.**_

_Who?_

_**Nature…the day you went out into that massive sandstorm, you unknowingly entered a Blood Contract. Luckily you have a respect for both nature and demons.**_

* * *

Finally, Itachi and Kisame retreated, leaving the others behind. As soon as they left, Kyuubi reluctantly went back inside Naruto. He would have stayed if it weren't for the fact that Haruto couldn't handle having two Tailed-Beasts inside her for a prolonged period of time.

"Haruto…you have some explaining to do." Jiraiya said, his eyes filled with suspicion.

"Knock yourself out."

"First off…" started the Toad Sage; Naruto interrupted annoyed.

"Why are you wearing my clothes?! I said you could have the goggles, I didn't say you could borrow my clothes too!" Naruto said irritably.

"It was the only way I could walk around without the villagers glaring at me like the damage was my fault!" said Haruto in a tone that made it seem obvious.

"Haruto, how were you able to use the Kyuubi's chakra when he's sealed in your brother?"

"Don't look so surprised. I did it all the time back home. It was the only way Gaara could sleep at night."

"But how is this possible?" said Jiraiya.

"According to Shukaku, I entered a Blood Contract with the demon world without realizing it."

"When did the Shukaku tell you that?"

"Around five minutes ago. Kyuubi told him not to call him fox-face."

"Wait a minute…you had the demon that was inside Gaara this whole time and didn't tell us?!" said Naruto.

"I didn't know he was there! Anyway, it seems Gaara left Shukaku with me because he was worried. Because he didn't say anything or let me access his own chakra, he was able to stay inside me this whole time and I didn't notice."

"Unbelievable…you can bear two of the legendary Tailed Beasts and not be affected in the least!" said Jiraiya amazed.

"I guess Shukaku's presence for a prolonged period had something to do with it."

"I still don't get how you can take other demons from people!" said Jiraiya.

"Me either… Gaara and I did it just to see if we could find a way for him to sleep at night and that's how it started."

"I have a question though. If demons are so evil and hurt those they're sealed in, then why do they exist at all? It makes no sense!" said Naruto.

"Yes it does," said Haruto, "The real question is why they were sealed here."

**About that problem… There's a reasonable explanation, but you might want to sit down. It's a long story, but you'll need to know it later.**

"The Fox said we better find a place to sit. He'll give us the reason why they were sealed here, but he said it was a long story," Naruto said.

They left the town where the battle broke out and headed to a secluded area. Jiraiya was concerned that Haruto could take a sealed demon and let it control her body. If they ever broke loose, they would wreak untold havoc and destruction upon the world!

* * *

**Naruto, tell that perverted hermit to quit worrying about us breaking loose through your sister! He's beginning to make me nervous, and believe me that isn't good for either of us.**

_I'll tell him that._

**Arigato.**

* * *

"Hey pervy sage, the Fox said to quit worrying about Haruto's ability with demons. You're starting to make him nervous," said Naruto.

"Why didn't he say that through her? Why'd he go through you?" said Jiraiya, suspicious.

**Naruto, is it alright if I take over your body and answer him myself? If you let me, I'll tell you the reason why you can eat so much ramen and not get sick.**

_Deal._

* * *

**"If you must know, it's because I didn't want to continue jumping back and forth just to answer your stupid questions. And before you ask, I didn't take Naruto over by force."**

"How do I know I can trust you? You're a demon after all."

**"You lot wonder why we don't like humans… You're too close-minded sage. That's why Haruto was chosen to communicate with your kind. She keeps an open mind and actually considers BOTH sides of the tale."**

"And what did you do to Naruto to convince him to allow this?"

"He said he'd tell me why I don't get sick from eating so much ramen all the time," said Naruto.

"Naruto, if you do that too much you could break the seal," said Jiraiya.

**"Not if it's done for short periods of time, idiot."**

"You let the Fox talk through you again, didn't you?"

"I heard what he was thinking and let him say it aloud," said Naruto with a shrug. Haruto held back a laugh.

"This is becoming more trouble than it's worth," grumbled Jiraiya.

**"If you want to hear why all these events happened for the past few years, then I recommend you quit while you're ahead, sage."**

"What events?"

**"How about why Shukaku and I were sealed in humans. Or the most recent one would be the attack during the Chuunin Exams."**

"Wait… You know why the village was attacked?! How can those events be connected?" said Jiraiya in shock.

**"There's more to this world than you think. And all of this was caused by the same thing; it's because of this problem that a few of us were allowed to be sealed and your kind didn't face retribution from us."**

"Now I'm interested in this explanation you have. But why is it that Haruto can summon your kind and not have to do anything in return?"

**"It's because she was chosen as a guide for those who were sealed. And even then, the fact that I attacked that _particular_ ninja village was because I volunteered to be sealed. We knew the Fourth Hokage developed that particular technique he used. So we used that to our advantage."**

"Wait…you volunteered to attack Konoha? And you already knew the Fourth had a technique that could seal your kind in a human without ill side-effects? How is that possible?"

**"_We had to even the balance of power somehow. The fact he discovered the Jutsu at all was a shock to us at first anyway. We thought we'd destroyed all traces of its existence a long time ago."_**

"Who said that?!" said Jiraiya.

"That would be Shukaku," replied Haruto.

"So if they were shocked about him finding out about the jutsu, then why didn't they stop him from using it? And why did they try to destroy it?"

**"_If we hadn't, then the balance of power in your world would have shifted. We couldn't risk that happening; not to mention if too many of us were sealed, the fragile balance of both worlds would be at risk of destruction. Hell, the last time someone came close to discovering that jutsu we had him killed by rogue shinobi. The Fourth Hokage was only allowed to live because we had a crisis which needed more demons in your world."_**

"What sort of crisis would be big enough to run the risk you spoke of?" said Jiraiya.

**"Just like there are Rogue Shinobi in your world, there are rare cases of rogue demons acting on their own. Usually, they try to take possession of a human and attempt to destroy our worlds only to die by the hands of Shinobi like yourself. But something happened with one of them that prompted us to take drastic action."**

"What would cause that?"

"I think this is a good spot. Haruto, would you please let your brother know about that little problem?"

"I told you I'd tell him about it when you explained why all this happened."

"I just wanted to remind you about it."

As they sat down, Haruto turned to her brother and started what would be a long and informative conversation.


	10. Why demons exist

**Why demons exist**

"Kyuubi said he has a request for Naruto."

"What?"

**"Quit calling me 'Stupid Fox' every time you need my chakra! If you want me to continue lending my chakra then call me Tails! Got it?!"**

"And if I refuse?"

**"Then I'll start calling you a cowardly weakling every time you need my help."**

"Fine…I'll quit calling him Stupid Fox. By the way, was that you talking or was that him?"

"That was Tails talking. Huh…seems Shukaku has something to say too."

**"_When she entered the contract with our kind she agreed to help us if we assist her."_**

"When you say 'assist' you, are you talking about her having to make sacrifices to your kind or something?" said Jiraiya.

**"_Your referring to her worshipping us, aren't you? The answer is NO. Do you have any idea how many of us there are?!"_**

"A lot?" said Naruto.

* * *

**A lot he says… Our numbers match the same yours.**

_What do you mean by that Stu…er, Tails?_

**Ever heard of a concept called Yin and Yang? Light and Dark?**

_Yeah…I think so._

**Well, since there are humans whom you consider the 'light' or good half, it's only natural that there would be something that can balance your world. That's why we demons exist.**

_Okay…_

* * *

"Tails said something about demons balancing humans out or something."

**"_There has to be an opposing force to balance both worlds. That's why the Tailed Beasts were set loose every so often. We have to balance the number of demons and humans. But…"_**

"But what?" said Jiraiya.

**"_But recently, something has disturbed the balance. Or to be more exact, someone."_**

"Who would disturb the balance?" said Naruto.

**You know him as Orochimaru.**

"Um, how did Orochimaru disturb the balance?" asked Naruto aloud by mistake.

**"_Well, technically speaking it wasn't his fault. I pretty sure he still has no idea why he was so good with snakes,"_** said Shukaku.

"So what exactly happened?" said Jiraiya.

**"One of our own somehow managed to possess a human without their knowledge. We're still trying to find out how he did it."**

"I take it that the human you're referring to is Orochimaru."

**"Yes. We had no idea that he had done this until Orochimaru started going renegade for no reason. That was the original concern. We're still trying to fix the mess that damn snake started!"** said Kyuubi irritably.

"Um, Kyuubi-san, is it possible for you and Shukaku to speak without going through us?" said Haruto.

**"I'm sure we can think of something. I'll try to at least come out with a physical form so you can talk to me directly. Shukaku has already figured out a way to do that."**

**Naruto, can you create a shadow clone that looks similar to me? You can choose how many tails I have if you want. Though if you add too many you'll make that perverted sage nervous again.**

_Sure thing. I've always wanted to see you first hand after I found out you were inside me!_

* * *

Naruto made a Shadow Clone version of Kyuubi with only four tails instead of nine. The fox took over that body and looked at Naruto with a grin. Shukaku followed suit and soon Jiraiya had to deal with two demons instead of two teenagers. (Though they are practically the same in his eyes anyway!)

"So, Tails, how long has the snake demon had possession of Orochimaru?" said Jiraiya.

"Well…we suspect that he pulled it off through the mother. We think he took control of her first, then taking Orochimaru before he was even born."

"That freak is nothing more than a puppet for the snake. That much we could tell after he tried to find an immortality jutsu; we knew he was being manipulated at that point," said Shukaku.

"So he was being manipulated himself before he could even resist? When did you really get concerned?!" said Jiraiya angrily.

"When he learned how to summon snakes, he was far beyond any help we could have given you to free him of the snake. At this point, even if we remove that snake he'll be killed in the process," said Kyuubi.

"So he'll die no matter what we do."

"Some of his doings might have been his fault, but we seriously doubt he had free will to begin with."

"So basically, what you're saying is that Orochimaru was is nothing more than a shell for this serpent from the start," said Haruto.

"Unfortunately, that's exactly what he is. If we had seen this after the mother was taken, we could have prevented this from happening at all!" said Tails.

"So we're both to blame for not realizing this when it started," said Jiraiya.

"Neither side is completely to blame. Both worlds share the responsibility of protecting the balance. Though…there was one instance where we didn't know about until a hundred years _after _it happened," said Tails.

* * *

"Why do I have a feeling that you're about to torment me with _that_ again?!" grumbled Shukaku. Tails chuckled evilly; no matter how many times he thought about it, it always cracked him up!

"What happened?" said Naruto.

"This knuckle-head went to the wrong place. He was _supposed_ to attack one of the villages in the Earth nation, but he screwed up and ended up in a desert during the summer!" Tails was laughing.

"Well excuse me! That sand was hot, fox-face!" retorted Shukaku.

"So Raccoon-boy over here gets the hot-foot and then winds up sealed in a…a…_tea kettle!_" Tails finished, and everyone except Shukaku burst out laughing. When they were able to look at Shukaku without snickering, Tails continued.

"Right now, we have two major problems to solve in this world. The first is Orochimaru naturally, but the second has come up recently."

"I'm guessing you're referring to the rogue ninjas trying to capture Naruto and remove you from him," said Jiraiya.

"We had no knowledge that a group of shinobi was attempting to capture us for their own agendas until Itachi attacked."

* * *

"Was Itachi's slaughter of his own clan your doing as well?" said Naruto.

"That was an accident. Every two hundred years or so a family with a Kekkei Genkai will be almost annihilated by one of their own. However, that wasn't supposed to happen for a few decades. I don't know if this was the work of the snake or whether it was an accident on our part…" said Tails.

"Why do you have a family with a Kekkei Genkai almost destroyed every two hundred years or so?" asked Jiraiya.

"In order to prevent them from becoming _too_ powerful a force. The Uchiha clan massacre was not meant to happen intentionally; how it occurred is beyond me. If any of the Kekkei Genkai families in Konoha were to be weakened, it would most certainly have been the Hyuga clan, not the Uchiha."

"Because of that Branched family thing?" said Naruto.

"Exactly. Their little practice of separating their clan into two groups wasn't something we could allow to continue."

"I bet Neji will be glad to hear that," said Naruto.

"So how much does your kind meddle in the affairs of humans?"

"We usually don't meddle too much, just enough to benefit both worlds. Most of the time we leave you to your own devices," answered Tails.

"How much have you done recently?" asked Jiraiya.

"Well…the last Kazekage put Raccoon-boy in his own son after we had their political opposite weaken their village's fighting power. We were planning on sending another demon in to fill the spot, but the man used _him_ instead. We had no idea he already had one of us waiting."

"You mean you never wondered what happened to me?! Even when I didn't come back?!"

"We thought you were with the Summoned Beasts again. You have been known to live among them for hundreds of years at a time," retorted Tails.

"You mean that the creatures we use in our jutsu live on your side?!"

"Are you kidding? They live on their half of the world and we stay on our own turf. You humans are the only ones who invade the other's territory," said Shukaku.

"Then why did you attack me and the frog I summoned?" asked Naruto.

"I was cranky, okay? I don't get out often enough since I'm stuck in Gaara all the time and I get irritable."

"I've been meaning to ask this, but are you the one controlling the sand that protects Gaara?" asked Haruto.

"Why would I protect the kid from every little attack?! The restless soul of his mother controls that sand. I only control it whenever he uses it to release me."

"Or whenever the vengeful soul decides to let you be the one guarding him. Let me guess, she only lets you deal with the strong attacks and she just does minor?" said Tails amused.

* * *

"Hey Tails, why does Naruto have a black hole for a stomach?" asked Haruto.

"About that…it seems he got an unexpected side-affect when he had me sealed in him. After the first two bowls, I end up with the rest. Don't ask me why that is, because I have no idea."

"Why does Haruto only have those bulky shurinkens and not normal sized ones?" asked Naruto.

"She can change their size," said Shukaku.

"Was that your influence when it came to her weapon preference?" asked Jiraiya.

"Hey, we may meddle, but even we don't mess with a girl's taste! That's her doing, not ours. The control of the shurinkens themselves, however is ours," said Tails quickly.

"Then you don't have any control over Naruto's fashion sense?" said Haruto.

"I wish…" snorted Tails; Haruto started laughing.

"Well… I did have _some_ influence on Haruto's wardrobe…" said Shukaku.

"How much?" asked Naruto and Jiraiya.

"I helped her find the clothes that not only offered maximum maneuverability, but didn't look like an eyesore," said Shukaku.

"It's true," shrugged Haruto.

* * *

"Hey Tails and Shukaku," said Jiraiya; they turned to him and he continued, "How hard is it for your kind to come to our side?"

"Not that hard if the majority of the Tailed Beasts permits it," said Tails.

"Though even we have to get approval from the others," said Shukaku.

"So is it possible that you can help them fix the damages that snake demon caused in Konoha?" asked Haruto.

"It is possible, but you'd have to get approval from the Tailed Beasts on the other side. And you'd have to choose which ones can come and which stay," said Tails.

"So how can I get there? It'll be pretty hard for me to do that on this end," said Haruto.

"I'll try to remember the incantation to take us there, but it'll be tough with the seal on us," said Tails.

"I'll come with you. I want to see Gama Bunta in his world," said Naruto.

"Are you going to inform your comrades about what Itachi and his organization is trying to pull?" asked Jiraiya.

"Absolutely. When they find out about that, there'll be a guard from both the summoned beasts and one of our own on anyone who possess my friends," said Tails.

"That's good to know. It'll be harder for them to capture the humans with your kin if there's something protecting them."


	11. Into the world of demons

**Into the world of demons**

"WHAT! Why do we have to bring Sasuke along?!" whined Naruto.

"First off, it's the only way we can successfully get that seal removed. Second, he is an Uchiha, which could help stop his brother. Finally, if we are to have any hope of convincing them to help us, we'll need a mortal who hasn't had contact with demons at all," explained Haruto.

**

* * *

My friends on the other side won't listen if they only hear this from those who have been possessed by demons; it would be too risky. How would they know if the human is telling the truth or being controlled by a rogue?**

_I can understand that but why, why does it HAVE to be Sasuke?!_

**Relax…if Sasuke is given a demon to remove the seal, you'll still be stronger than him. Even if it's a Tailed Beast.**

_Really? How come?_

**Because I am the leader of the Tailed Beasts. The strongest of our kind battle for control. I was challenged many times and have yet to be beaten, even if my opponent was a Tailed one. That, and I'm the oldest of the Tailed Beasts.**

_Fine…I guess I can live with Sasuke coming. But if he starts his usual bit, I won't let it slide, got it?!_

**I wouldn't expect anything less from you.**

* * *

"So if we allow Sasuke to go along with you, and allow demons into the village, how do we know they won't wreck more destruction?" asked one of the elders.

"Look, would it help if I had one of the summoned beasts supervise them?"

"Summoned beasts?"

"The creatures we bring out using the Summoning Jutsu. They live alongside the demons," said Haruto.

"So long as they don't reveal their true nature in the village…I guess we can allow them to help with the repairs. But how do we know that taking the last Uchiha will remove the seal?"

"Orochimaru is nothing more than a second-hand puppet, controlled by a snake. If Sasuke goes into the world of demons, the power will override the seal and remove it from him for good. The seal on my brother however, will be put back into effect once we leave that world."

"Why will the Uchiha's seal be removed but not Naruto's?"

"Two reasons; 1.) Sasuke's seal isn't as strong as Naruto's. 2.) Kyuubi won't leave his host defenseless against one of his own kind. If he were to leave, Naruto would have a weaker defense against any demons that come after him."

"Very well…we will let you go on this suicidal mission. But if anything goes wrong in their world and they come after the village, we will hold YOU responsible."

"Fair enough."

* * *

"They agreed. I just hope that nothing bad happens with the demons. They're holding ME responsible for their actions," said Haruto with a groan.

"They won't act too badly with ME around," said Kyuubi.

"I hope you're right, Kyuubi-san," said Haruto.

"My main concern is when you lot find out the truth of my world… Do me a favor and don't ask about it, okay?" said Kyuubi nervously.

"So how exactly do we get there?" asked Sasuke.

"I'll handle that. Just hang on for a moment. I haven't used this spell in over twelve years," said Kyuubi irritably.

_**

* * *

**_

Shiroi yami kiri saku tsubasa ni nane

_**Kagami ni utsutta ki seki no yoru**_

_**Shiroku somaru yami tsuki nukete**_

_**Hateshinaku tsuzuiteku byakuya o tobe**_

"Become the wings that cut through the white darkness,

In the miraculous night reflected in the mirror,

Break through the darkness that is painted white,

Fly into the white night that continues endlessly."

(I made this by mixing up parts of the D.N.Angel theme song, 'White night-True light'.)

* * *

As Kyuubi chanted these words, a strange white fog surrounded them, engulfing them in a dark embrace. As they stood there in shock, a pair of grey wings appeared on their backs and they took flight into the heart of the dark abyss created by the mist. When they opened their eyes, (the humans didn't remember closing them to begin with), what greeted them was a complete shock. Standing between Naruto and Haruto was a fox-like person with a disturbing grin.

"It's good to be home. Or at least that's what I _would_ say if I didn't know what awaited me in my office," said the fox.

"Kyuubi-san?! What's going on?!" said Haruto.

"I thought I said no questions," said Kyuubi turning toward her.

"Seriously, what the hell is going on?! Why do you look like a fox-human mix?!" said Sasuke.

"Welcome to our world. Here things are a bit different; mainly due to the fact that there are NO shinobi at all," said a second human-animal mix. (Raccoon-human crossbreed to be more specific.)

"Ah, Shukaku! I was wondering if you'd come along!" said Kyuubi amused. It was then that Naruto noticed something else.

"Tails, why are you in a suit?"

"Oh, this thing? It's because I own a business that controls the weather in both worlds. As well as the law enforcement, the utility, and well, almost all the necessary businesses. Shukaku, on the other paw…"

"Don't you dare tell them!" growled Shukaku quickly.

"What? You don't want Haru-chan to know that here you're a _fast-talking salesman_?" said Kyuubi evilly.

"You're a WHAT?!" said the three shinobi in shock.

"If you think that's bad, wait until you see that snake Orochimaru summons. You'll die laughing!" said Shukaku.

"What is he here?" asked Sasuke.

"You'll see soon enough. In the meantime, who's hungry? I know a great place nearby; it'll be my treat," said Kyuubi.

"Any ramen?" asked Naruto hopefully.

"Not today kit," laughed Kyuubi.

"I'm in…on one condition. Can you explain why your world is so similar to ours?" asked Sasuke.

"Why not? Might as well blow some time before I have one of you go into the main building for me," said Kyuubi.

"Why would you have one of us do that? Why can't you go inside yourself?" asked Haruto.

"Does the word 'paperwork' tell you anything?" snickered Shukaku.

"Wait a minute…you mean you have paperwork you need to do?" asked Naruto.

"Eat now, explain later!" said Kyuubi quickly.

* * *

After eating lunch at a street-side hayashiraisu (stewed meat and vegetables with rice) stand, Kyuubi and Shukaku split up, both taking one of the young human shinobi with them. Kyuubi took Haruto and Sasuke to the station where they were greeted by an assortment of kitsune, Inu and (you've got to be kidding) Neko demons?!

"What the…? Why are there cat and dog demons working together?" asked Sasuke surprised.

"Kyuubi-sama, are these, these _humans_…from the other world?" asked one of the cat demons.

"What was your first clue?" joked Kyuubi.

"I'm guessing the idea of cats and dogs not getting along are a misconception on this side," said Haruto.

"Better believe it," snorted one of the canines.

"Kyuubi-sama, why did you come here? You know your assistant will want to know you're back," asked a fellow fox.

"You know how I feel about paperwork. There's no telling how much she'll have for me after almost 13 years in the human world!" said Kyuubi in dismay.

"You never change…" said several of the workers.

"So who are the humans?" asked one of the cats.

"The boy with a Goth-like attitude is Uchiha Sasuke and the girl is Haruto."

"Haruto? _The_ Haruto?!" they all said in shock.

"In any case, we better get going. I promised these kids I'd show them around," said Kyuubi.

"I've been meaning to ask, but where does the Kekkei Genkai on our side come from?" asked Sasuke. Kyuubi was amused because Sasuke choose that time to ask that question.

"Kuro, would you like to explain to him?" asked Kyuubi.

* * *

Halfway across the city, Shukaku and Naruto were bored. Naruto was in a good mood after he saw what Shukaku did for a living in his world. But his amusement quickly faded after an hour. He turned to the raccoon demon and said, "You two said that the snake Orochimaru uses has a weird job here. Can you show me?"

"Kid, when you see what that damn snake does for a living, you'll have a new reason to hate and/or want to kill him."

"Can you give me a hint?"

"His favorite thing to do is jumping through Red Tape and finding loop holes in the laws that Kyuubi and the others created to keep everyone sane here," said Shukaku with a shrug.

"Define sane to someone who's favorite Jutsu was created to humiliate adult men," snorted Naruto.

"Touché; how many guys have you used it on?"

"I lost count a _long_ time ago."

"Why do I get the feeling there's something else you want to ask?"

"What's the difference between the demon side of the world and the Summoned Monsters?"

"I've actually never thought about it. So what creature do you summon again? Haruto can bring out demons, nature, and other stuff." 

"I summon…frogs," said Naruto hesitantly.

"Frogs? As in Gama Bunta and kin?"

"Yeah…I think so," said Naruto.

"Who taught you to summon frogs?"

"That pervy sage, Jiraiya."

"Thought so… have you ever wondered how those frogs can handle being in a hot spring without dieing from the heat?" asked Shukaku.

"Not really…though now that you mention it…"

"Want to know why?"

"Sure, I guess…"

"It's 'cause Gama Bunta and his kin run a bath house in our world. Though I can guarantee Jiraiya wouldn't like the Toad Chief's place," snickered Shukaku.

"Why not?"

"He wouldn't be able to spy on any of the women in the springs!"

"Nani?! How did he pull that off?!"

* * *

"Kid, after all the years Gama Bunta and his kin had to put up with that sage, do you really think he'd let the same thing happen here?"

"I guess you have a point… So how did he manage to prevent any one from peeping in the baths?"

"It's easier to understand if I show you instead of tell you," said Shukaku. He led Naruto to the other side of the world which had almost all summoned creatures in it. (If you didn't count the occasional demon.) As Naruto and Shukaku arrived at the bath house, he could see why Jiraiya wouldn't like it. Wherever there was a spot that the sage could peep through, a thick impenetrable mist made it impossible to see through. They went to the main entrance and were greeted by none other than the same frog Naruto summoned when he first confronted Gaara!

"Welcome to the most popular place to relax, Kaeru Sento!" said Gamakichi.

"It's called the 'Frog Bath House'?" said Naruto skeptically.

"Eh…?! I don't believe it! How'd you get here, Naruto?!" said Gamakichi.

"Tails brought me to this side and Shukaku showed me the way here," said Naruto.

"Hey pops! You'll never believe who's here!" called Gamakichi.

"Eh…? What're you yelling about now boy?! How many times do I have to…" said Gama Bunta irritably. The minute he saw Naruto however, his tirade stopped abruptly.

"What the…? How did you get here brat?!" said Gama Bunta annoyed and surprised.

"Tails brought me; along with Haruto, Sasuke and Shukaku here," said Naruto.

"It's true. So how has business been since I got trapped?" asked Shukaku casually.

"You two might as well come in and join me. I was about to eat lunch," said Gama Bunta grouchy.

"What about me pops?"

"You keep attracting customers! You know your younger brother is hopeless!" snorted Gama Bunta.

"Yes sir…" said Gamakichi disappointed.

"Hey Gamakichi…want to play later?" said Naruto, hoping to cheer the frog up.

"Sure! We can go to the weightless playground after my shifts over!" said Gamakichi happily.

"Gamakichi, go easy on Naruto when you go. He isn't used to floating like you are!" scolded Gama Bunta.

Naruto learned more about the world of summoned beasts and demons from Gama Bunta. He also gained another clue as to what occupation the snake Orochimaru had. (Not to mention the name of said snake. It was Manda.) While Shukaku and Naruto explored, Sasuke learned of the origin to the Kekkei Genkai.


	12. Origin of the Kekkei Genkai

**Origin of the Kekkei Genkai**

"You said the boy's Sasuke Uchiha, correct?" asked an important looking feline.

"You want to show him where his Kekkei Genkai originated from, don't you, Kuro?" said Kyuubi amused.

"You know me too well, Kyuubi-sama," said Kuro.

"Well, Sasuke? How 'bout it? You want to learn where your Sharingan came from?"

"Sure…why not?" said Sasuke with a shrug. He followed the feline named Kuro to a house that was eerily familiar to him.

"Woah…it looks almost identical to my house!" said Sasuke in surprise.

"Not surprising. Our worlds are similar because they are the opposite of the other side," said Kuro.

"Huh…"

"So, how do you like our world?" asked Kuro.

"It's pretty weird, but I like just the same," admitted Sasuke.

"Good to hear. I've been wanting to ask, but why did Kyuubi-sama bring you with Haruto?"

"Have you heard of a shinobi named Orochimaru? He placed this cursed seal on my neck and Kyuubi said if I came here they could get rid of it," said Sasuke.

"Cursed Seal? You shinobi and your Jutsus…" said Kuro as they entered the house. Sasuke was impressed by the fact that it was bigger than it appeared from the outside. Kuro led him to another feline, this one with more than one tail. Before Sasuke was what is known as…a Nekomata, or two-tailed magical cat. Sasuke bowed his head in respect; this put him on the feline's good side.

* * *

**"Wise choice, little boy. Kuro, why did you bring a human to our house?!"**

"This human is an Uchiha."

**"Uchiha? I thought that ungrateful brat Itachi murdered the rest!"**

"My older brother spared me, though I have no idea why. My sole desire is to kill him and avenge my clan," said Sasuke.

**"An avenger, eh? Why did you come here, boy?"**

"Kai-sama, would you _PLEASE _drop the voice?!" grumbled Kuro annoyed.

"Fine… spoilsport."

"A rogue shinobi by the name of Orochimaru placed a Cursed Seal on me. I was told if I came here I would be able to get rid of it."

"Hold on there, boy. How can I be sure that you are truly an Uchiha?" said Kai.

Sasuke (reluctantly) activated his Sharingan. Kai calmed down and said, "You've been unable to fully awaken the Eye?"

"Hai. I first got the Eye whilst in the middle of a life-or-death battle with someone who also possessed a Kekkei Genkai."

"That is no easy feat. Very well…I'll see what I can do about this 'Cursed Seal'."

"Arigato," said Sasuke. Then a thought occurred to him.

* * *

"Kai-san, I've been meaning to ask this, but where exactly did the Sharingan come from?" asked Sasuke reluctantly.

"You do not know how your clan first received the Sharingan?" said Kuro in surprise.

"No…all my father told me was that a mighty beast was killed in battle against my ancestors and that the Sharingan came into being shortly after."

"Feh…mighty beast was killed, my ass. Your ancestor did _not _kill some beast to gain the original Eye. It was given to him as a reward for an act of kindness. He saved a Nekomata from certain death and in return was given what you know as the Sharingan," said Kai annoyed.

"How did he save the Nekomata?" asked Sasuke.

"He prevented one of his fellow shinobi from killing the Nekomata after they discovered it. Or to be more precise, during one of the attacks that the Tailed Beasts initiated in order to balance the number of demons and humans, he stopped his comrades from killing the Beast long enough to at least hear the Nekomata out. As a result of actually trying to find out _why _the attack took place, he was given a small portion of the demon's unique ability."

"So my ancestor spared the Nekomata long enough to find out the truth? And because of this he was given one of the Beast's many powers?" said Sasuke, trying to clarify.

"Precisely."

"If that's true, then where did the Mangekyo Sharingan come from?"

"Mangekyo Sharingan?! Where did you learn of that accursed power?!" said Kai in anger.

"My brother, Itachi. He discovered that version of the Sharingan and then used it to destroy our clan."

"I thought we'd erased all traces of it on your side…" said Kai.

"I'm afraid not," said Sasuke.

"All right boy. You want to stop your former brother once and for all, as well as avenge your clan, yes?"

"Definitely."

"Then you'll need someone who can teach you how to reverse the Mangekyo Sharingan and turn it against the user. The only one who can do that is the Nekomata who originally gave the Sharingan to your clan."

"Where is the Nekomata?" asked Kuro and Sasuke.

"You're lookin' at him. If I had known that this would be what happened long ago, I never would have given it to him at all."

* * *

"Is there any way to get past the Byakugan?" asked Sasuke hopefully.

"Byakugan?! I wasn't the one who gave the Hyuga clan that! You want the bat demon, Kage."

"Wait a minute. You mean that the Hyuga Kekkei Genkai came from a…?"

"A bat demon. Why else would their eyes look like something out of a dark cave?" laughed Kai.

"So do all Kekkei Genkai come from a demon?"

"Where else would they get them? We don't give Kekkei Genkai out everyday; we give certain traits and abilities more often anyway."

"Like the Inuzuka clan and their dogs? Or Aburame and their bugs?"

"Inuzuka got their ability from a wolf and the Aburame clan got theirs from…a scarab," said Kai.

"What about Akimichi?"

"Butterflies…if you can believe it!" laughed Kuro. (Even he knew about that bizarre story!)

"You've got to be joking… Choji and his family got their special traits from a butterfly?!"

"If you think that's weird, wait until you hear about the Nara and Yamanaka families!" snorted one of the younger felines nearby.

"Do I dare ask…?"

"The Nara clan got their 'shadow manipulation' jutsu from a deer, while the Yamanaka are one of the few to encounter a plant-demon crossbreed and live," explained Kuro.

"So when do we start?" asked Sasuke, changing the subject.

* * *

Meanwhile back with Kyuubi and Haruto…

"So let me get this straight. You want me to go and give the receptionist this slip of paper which issues an emergency meeting with all the Tailed Beasts."

"If you wouldn't mind… I _really_ don't want to face that woman again when I've just returned!" said Kyuubi nervously.

"What woman?" said Haruto evilly.

"My assistant. The minute she finds out that I'm back, she'll never let me leave!"

"In other words she's bossy. I could learn a few things from her…" said Haruto.

"So are you going to do this or not? I'm starting to worry about leaving Naruto with Shukaku…"

"Just show me where to go. I'll do the rest," said Haruto calmly. Kyuubi handed the paper to Haruto, who went into the building and handed it to the desk clerk. When the clerk looked up, she said irritably, "What the hell is this? What do you want?!"

"Kyuubi sent me. These are his orders," said Haruto calmly. The clerk took one look at the handwriting and then said coldly, "Very well. An emergency meeting notice will be sent to the Tailed Council. The meeting place will be known only to those attending."

"Arigato," said Haruto.

* * *

Two days later in the meeting place…

"What's this all about?" asked one of the Beasts.

"Beats me. All I know is that one of the others issued an emergency meeting."

"I hope this is good. If I find out this was a bad joke, there'll be hell to pay," said an irritable demon.

"There is a valid reason why you were called, brother," said Kyuubi, stepping from within the shadows.

"WHAT THE HELL?! Kyuubi-sama, you were sent to the human world to help deal with the snake issue! Why are you back?!" said the irritable Beast.

"Because the situation is worse than we originally predicted, baka," said Shukaku annoyed.

"And where have you been, Shukaku?! You had one simple task and what happens? You disappear for over a hundred years for no reason!" retorted another demon.

"I didn't disappear you moron! _Someone_ in charge of teleportation screwed up and sent me to the wrong location! It's not my fault I vanished!"

"Yeah right! I hear you got caught by the shinobi and sealed in a fricken' teapot of all things!" snorted another.

"ENOUGH BICKERING!!!!" roared Kyuubi. The squabbling between the Beasts halted abruptly.

"The reason I called for a meeting wasn't to argue amongst one another! It seems the problem with that damn snake is worse than we predicted."

"You mean that moron Manda did something that could potentially let us kill him for once?!" said the others with a hint of hope in their tone.

"Yes. The shinobi, Orochimaru, was not born naturally. It seems the snake took over his mother and transferred himself into him when the boy was born. Orochimaru has been a pawn since the beginning! And it gets worse," said Kyuubi.

"How the hell can it get worse?!"

"The one known as Itachi Uchiha and his organization are up to something that can possibly destroy our worlds," said Shukaku.

"Uchiha?! You mean that clan that received a bloodline trait from Kai?"

"Yes. His organization, the Akatsuki, have begun to collect those with Tailed Beasts within them. My own host was recently targeted as well. If this continues, well, you can pretty much guess…"

"So let me get this straight. You're telling us that a group of renegade shinobi is targeting the hosts of any with one of us inside them? For what purpose are they doing this?"

"That I have yet to find out. All I know is that if any more of us travel to the human world we'll be potential targets for them. Do you have any other questions?" said Kyuubi calmly.

"I have one. If your 'host' came with you, where is he now? I don't see any humans around here," said the three-tailed turtle demon.

"I'm right here!" said Naruto annoyed.

"Sorry kid. Didn't see ya there."

* * *

"I also brought the last remaining Uchiha that is trustworthy as well as the medium that was selected the night I was sealed in the boy," said Kyuubi.

"You brought the medium with you?! Are you daft?!"

"He isn't daft. It was my idea for him to return here in the first place to warn you. Now what do you plan on doing about the Akatsuki?" said Haruto annoyed.

"Kyuubi, why did you bring him here?!" the others said in horror.

"What…did…you…call…me?!" growled Haruto through gritted teeth.

"They just called you a boy. Knock yourself out…provided you don't get too carried away!" laughed Shukaku. The other Tailed Beasts learned a valuable lesson that day…_never mistake Haruto for a boy!!_

"Is there anything else you want to inform us?" asked Kai. (Sasuke was with him as well.)

"Yes. Orochimaru has attacked my domain and killed their village leader. The damages were severe and Haruto had an idea as to how we can improve the human's opinion of us."

"How is that?"

"By sending representatives to the village and assisting them with repairs. We will have to select which of us will be sent," said Shukaku.

"That might be a good idea…provided none of the demons sent are one of us. You two are already part of the human world, so you'll be sent there anyway. Do you three have any suggestions?"

"I have one. Why not send the creatures responsible for giving Kekkei Genkai and the family traits? That way they can both help with repairs and train the shinobi to deal with the snake-freak," said Sasuke.

"Why would you suggest those who've given their powers to the humans?"

"Simple. They will have a better chance of surviving if they can go into the family who has their unique ability. The family would be less inclined to kill them on sight if they knew the truth about where their talent really came from," said Sasuke.

* * *

"True…but there's still one snag we have to deal with before we can do this," said Kai.

"What snag?" asked Naruto.

"Oh no…you don't mean…?" said Shukaku in dismay.

"Yes…we'll have to deal with the serpents if we want to pull this off successfully," said Kai.

"Why would you have to do that?" asked Sasuke.

"You haven't told them about the snake?" said the others in amusement.

"And ruin our fun? Are you joking? It'd be more fun if they find out the hard way!" laughed Shukaku and Kyuubi.

"Uh-oh…I have a bad feeling about this, sis!" said Naruto.

"Ditto."


	13. Returning home

**Returning home**

"Wait a minute… Haru, what kind of job involves red tape and loop holes?" asked Naruto, remembering a conversation he had with Shukaku earlier.

"The kind I really hate. The only thing that deals with that is…a _lawyer._"

"You're partially right. Try lawyers and politicians," said Sasuke.

"Took you three long enough to figure it out. That snake that possesses Orochimaru is a lawyer/politician here. Now you know why I said you'd have another reason to hate and/or kill him," said Shukaku.

"I got two words for ya, Shukaku…" said Haruto.

"What?"

"Blackmail anyone?" snickered Haruto evilly.

"What?"

"I wonder how much Orochimaru will like snakes when he finds out the truth about them. I sincerely doubt he enjoys dealing with red tape and rules!" laughed Haruto.

"You've got a point. Do you think once Orochimaru finds out about his snake he'll remove this seal on me?" said Sasuke.

"Probably not. It's worth a shot though, right?"

"It's decided. You can take the ones who've given some of their powers to the humans back with you. We'll deal with Manda and his army of lawyers," said the three-tailed turtle.

"Hai!"

It took less than two days to locate the creatures (and the plant) and tell them of the problem. They all agreed to assist in any way they could. The next day, Kyuubi and Shukaku prepared for the trip back. Sasuke, Naruto and Haruto were all eager to return; they wanted to start right away! The demons that would accompany them each had an assigned family to go to. The list went as follows:

-------

Kage (bat demon)—Hyuga clan

Kai (Nekomata)—Sasuke Uchiha

Wolf—Inuzuka family

Butterfly—Akimichi family

Deer—Nara family

Plant—Yamanaka family

Scarab—Aburame family

Various others—yet to be known

-------

Kyuubi began the spell and then they were all back in the human world without a problem. Now the hard part came; the demons had to find their respective families before the truth came out! Haruto helped the first four on that part. The plant and scarab however, had to figure it out on their own. Naruto and Sasuke showed them who came from their assigned clan, which helped immensely.

Here's how Kage did when it came to finding his clan…

Hinata was running to meet up with her team. (She had overslept.) Right as she passed a tree, she heard a strange noise. She immediately went on guard; it came again, and she investigated alone. What greeted her was the one thing she didn't expect! A silver-furred bat was trapped and injured in a cage meant for a small bird. She took pity on it and helped it get free. She let it go, only to find out it was too badly injured to take flight. She gently carried it in her pocket where it was safe until she put some medicine on its wounds.

While Kage waited for the girl to help him, he noticed certain things about her. The first thing he saw was that she was from his respective clan, the Hyuga. The second thing he idly noticed was that the girl was timid, which sent a bell in its head that she was more unique than the usual kunoichi.

After Hinata treated its wounds, Kage pretended to have grown fond of her and stayed around. She reluctantly kept him with her for the rest of the week.

------

Next was the wolf. (His task was easier than Kage's!)

Akamaru and Kiba were on their usual walk when they caught the scent of canine blood nearby. They went to the source and found a wolf which had been badly injured. It showed no fear of humans and allowed Kiba to approach. Kiba had a tough choice to make; he could either walk away and let the wolf fend for itself…or he could bring it back to his house and let it recover there. (He chose the latter; Inuzuka members can rarely stand by and let a canine suffer!)

"Kiba! Where did you find this wild animal?!" scolded his older sister, who was also a respected veterinarian.

"It was in the woods outside the village. It let me come close so I thought it would be safe to bring it home and help it recover!" defended Kiba.

"It let you near it? In this condition? All right then…it can stay. But the minute it starts to act hostile to the others it goes back to the woods! Got it, Otouto?"

"Yes, Onee-san!"

It took three days for the wolf to fully recover. By that time, the Inuzuka family had begun to grow attached to the supposedly _'wild'_ animal. They had even begun to figure out its name. It wasn't until Akamaru was talking with the wolf that they realized the truth. It turns out that the wolf was not only the source of the Inuzuka clan's ability with dogs, he was also Akamaru's great (er, 7x great) grandfather! Because of this, the wolf was immediately accepted into the family without question.

-------

It was the butterfly and deer's turn to contact its family. (Their job was one of the easiest!)

Choji was going with Shikimaru were going to meet their sensei; Shikimaru was mildly surprised to find a deer come out of nowhere and approach him. Choji on the other hand, had paused to free a strange yet beautiful butterfly which had gotten caught in a web. It fluttered to his hand, which surprised him; butterflies normally don't come to people unless the human is perfectly still!

"Hey Shikimaru…check out this weird butterfly! It seems to like me for some reason!" said Choji.

"You think that's odd, take a look at this deer! It keeps following me around!" griped Shikimaru.

"Weird… I wonder what's going on with these creatures?" said Choji, who set the butterfly on his shoulder. They set off to see their teacher and Ino. What greeted them was Ino with what looked like a mutant plant around her neck.

"So you guys too, eh? What you get stuck with Choji and Shikimaru?" asked Ino.

"This weird deer."

"And this cool butterfly," said Choji.

"A deer, a butterfly, and a mutant plant. What's next?!" grumbled Asuma, their teacher.

"Wait a minute…aren't butterflies bugs? Why not go to Shino and see what the deal is?" said Ino. They did just that, only to discover that Shino had his own new 'friend' to deal with!

"Woah… What is that thing Shino?!" said Choji. On his shoulder was a bizarre insect with what appeared to be pincers and a beetle-like shell.

"This thing, as you called it, is an extremely rare beetle. It's an Egyptian Scarab Beetle; I've read about them but this is the first time I've ever seen one."

"Why's it so rare?" asked Choji.

"Because this species was almost wiped out by the Egyptian civilization due to their rituals. These beetles have been known to eat people from the inside out," replied Shino.

"Then why do you have it on your shoulder?" said Shikimaru.

"Because the others have told me that it has no intention of killing me…yet."

"Yet?!"

"Besides, Hinata rescued a bat which would is easily capable of killing the beetle if it tries anything," said Shino.

"A bat? There aren't any bat colonies around here! Where did it come from?" asked Ino.

"I could ask you the same about your plant. Now why did you come to see me about anyway?" asked Shino.

"Oh…Choji saved this freaky butterfly and we were wondering if you could tell us more about it," said Shikimaru.

"Let me see… It seems that this isn't your average bug. I've never seen a butterfly with such distinct markings before."

"What does this mean?" asked Choji.

"It means this butterfly isn't normal. But I don't see any poisonous markings so you should be okay," answered Shino.

"What I don't get is where these things came from…" started Shikimaru when the deer back-kicked him, _hard_.

"OW! What'd ya do that for?!" grumbled Shikimaru.

"I think it can understand English, Shikimaru," said Choji.

**"_WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CLUE?!"_** grumbled the deer annoyed. Everyone turned toward the animal in shock.

"You've got to be kidding. That deer can _talk_?!" said Ino.

**"If you think that's weird, you troublesome twit, then wait until that plant tells ya the truth!" **snorted the deer with the _exact _tone that Shikimaru would use.

"Why do I get the feeling that Haruto is behind this?" said Shino.

**"You're partially right…and before you lot jump to conclusions, me and my friends didn't come here to cause trouble. We came to help you with repairs after that blasted snake caused all this trouble."**

"But that was months ago… most of the repairs are already done!" said Ino.

**"Good grief… this is becoming more troublesome than we originally predicted…"** grumbled the deer.

"Veni…tell them the rest already!" said a voice from Shino's shoulder.

"Not another one…" said Shikimaru.

**"We can all talk, little boy. Including that overgrown morning glory on that girl's shoulder,"** said the voice.

"Am I imagining things or is that butterfly talking?" said Ino.

**"Yes, I'm the one talking! And there is a second reason why we're here at all."**

"What would that be?" asked Choji.

**"To train you lot. Haven't any of you wondered why you and your families specialize in certain areas? Or where those Kekkei Genkai come from?"**

"I used to, but I quit thinking about it a long time ago," said Ino.

**"Figures…you might as well find someplace to sit; this is gonna take a while…"** said the butterfly.

It took over two hours for the demons to explain the situation (excluding the fact that Naruto had Kyuubi inside him) and in the end, they acted calmer than any normal person should.

------

"Why should we believe this tale? What proof do you have?" said Ino.

The deer stood up and muttered something under his breath. Within seconds Ino was paralyzed.

"What…what did you do to me?!" said Ino.

**"Why don't you ask Nara? He should recognize this…"** hinted Veni (the deer).

"That's…that's my Shadow Manipulation Jutsu!" said Shikimaru surprised.

**"Where do you think you got it from? A fellow ninja with no relatives?!"** grumbled Veni who released Ino.

"So you can do his jutsu. It still doesn't prove anything!" said Ino angrily.

**"It doesn't matter whether you believe us or not. All that really matters to us is what you'll tell everyone else."**

"You want us to keep this our secret until the village knows for sure that you mean no harm," said Shikimaru.

**"If you don't mind… If you keep this from everyone except those you know you can trust, then we'll teach you some variations of your family's techniques. Like pig-girl's mind-control jutsu… that floral nightmare developed an upgraded version which can take over a minimum of two people and he hasn't found the maximum limit yet," **said Veni.

"You're kidding!" said Ino in disbelief.

**"Actually, he isn't…for once,"** said the morning glory.

"Now this whole thing is getting ridiculous…" said Ino.

**"Tell me, Shino…is that girl in your team a Hyuga by any chance?"** asked the scarab.

"You too?! And yes, Hinata's last name is Hyuga. Why?" asked Shino.

**"Because that bat you talked about…his name is Kage and he was the one who gave her ancestors their Byakugan. And if I'm not mistaken, that girl may very well have a rare genetic trait…"**

"What genetic trait?" asked Shino and Ino.

**"It's possible that she might have what we call the 'Sight'. Though I don't know any more specific details about what it does,"** said the scarab.

"In any case, I think we've had enough excitement for one day. Who's up for going home and not tell the adults?" said Shino.

"I'm in," said the others.

(The next chapter will be all about Hinata! It's Hinata's time to shine…and _kick some serious ass._)


	14. Hidden abilities

**Hidden abilities**

_(This is a chapter which is ALL about Hinata! You can call this a filler chapter if you want; all I can say is that I'm tired of seeing Hinata getting no love in her clan. It's Hinata's time for some payback! ENJOY!!!)_

------

After Hinata found Kage trapped and treated his wounds, she tried to go about her day as usual. Though Kiba did notice that Hinata had a 'friend' along for the ride.

"Hey Hinata…what's in your pocket? I don't recognize that scent," said Kiba. Akamaru barked in agreement.

"I think it's supposed to be a bat. I found it this morning on the way here," answered Hinata.

"A bat? There aren't any colonies of bats around here!" said Kuranai.

"Are you sure, Kuranai-sensei? I had no idea…" stammered Hinata.

"Hinata, be cautious around that animal. There's something off about it…" said Kuranai.

"Hai…"

That night while Hinata was preparing to go to bed, she heard a small squeak. She looked down to see the bat staring at her intently. She looked surprised that the bat was staring at her.

"What…what do you want?" said Hinata surprise. The bat squeaked again; Hinata just stared at it confused as hell. Then it shot her a look that clearly said it gave up on trying with her…for the night at least.

Hinata went to bed, her mind filled with thoughts about the bat she saved. It almost appeared as if it were trying to tell her something; she could sense that if she were to find out more she would understand the bat's message better. She went to sleep wearily, unaware of eyes watching her.

_-------_

_I don't believe this… how can this girl be a Hyuga and yet have almost NO self-confidence at all?! Maybe I entered the wrong family…_

Hinata dreamt of bats surrounding her…she then noticed something strange. Even with the bats flying all around her, she wasn't scared in the least. Then things took an unexpected turn; her dream self activated the Byakugan and the bats all started to fly into and ball which slowly took form before her. It was…a very large bat with eyes that resembled her own! It was then that the large bat spoke; she could understand its every word perfectly.

**"**_**So you really are a Hyuga… Odd that the clan would have someone who doesn't have much self-confidence,"** _said the bat.

"Who…who are you?" asked Hinata.

**"_You may call me Kage. Tell me, why do you have so many doubts about yourself and your abilities?"_**

"I don't know what you mean by that…"

**"_I mean you are far too timid for your own good! Why do you act so?" _**

"I…I don't know…" stammered Hinata. Kage sighed before he said gently, "You just need someone to show you that you aren't worthless… Are you so afraid that you can't help but act timid?"

"Your voice…!"

"Don't look so surprised, little one. Now tell me, why are you so timid all the time? You should stand up proud!" said Kage.

"I…I can't do that… I'm not good enough to be the heiress of the clan… Neji should have been the heir, not me!" said Hinata upset.

"Who said you weren't good enough?"

"My father…and my cousin Neji. I tried to stand up proud, but he beat me badly during our fight in the Chuunin Exam. The Jonin had to step in just to stop him!"

"Your cousin nearly killed you during an exam?! What could have possessed him to do that?"

"He is part of the Branch side of the clan and I'm in the main house. There have always been problems between them; Neji just used the Chuunin exam as an excuse to attack me."

"Hold on a moment…what is the branch side? I don't recall any such thing when I was here!"

"The clan has been split into two parts; the main house and the branch side. The branch of the clan has always served the main house and they carry a cursed seal which the main house can used to kill them should they attempt anything on us. When they die, the seal takes away the Byakugan in order to prevent it from falling into enemy hands," explained Hinata.

"Humans…why do they always come up with such nonsense?! Don't worry; I won't hold this against you, little one."

"My name isn't little one, Kage-sama…its Hinata."

"Hinata then…by the way, you don't need to use the honorifics around me."

"Hai…"

"Hinata…how would you like to prove them wrong? You can show everyone that you aren't worthless or helpless," Kage said calmly.

"How…? I can't seem to do anything right…"

"You'll see…" said Kage; the bat faded as Hinata woke up. She rubbed her eyes wearily before she got up and went to get breakfast. She barely noticed that the bat had joined her until Neji mentioned something.

-------

"Hinata…what is that on your shoulder? It looks like a flying rat!" said Neji.

"Huh…? I didn't even notice it! How did you get on my shoulder without me seeing you?" said Hinata kindly at the bat.

"Hinata…where did you get that flying rat?" asked her father.

"I think it's a bat. And Kuranai-sensei has already told me there aren't any colonies around…" said Hinata before her father could repeat her teacher's words.

"Hinata, get rid of that animal now!" said her father sternly.

"It's not hurting anything…"

"Get rid of it NOW," repeated her mother.

The bat gave Hinata a look saying 'I'll wait outside.' It went off her shoulder and waited outside for Hinata to come out.

"I don't believe it…that, that thing can understand what we're saying?!" said Neji surprised.

"It's smarter than you think, Neji," said Hinata coolly.

After Hinata ate breakfast and then got ready to go training. She secretly snuck out some food for the bat. It gave her a grateful look and she said, "Thanks for waiting. I'm sorry about how my cousin treated you…"

The bat squeaked and Hinata just smiled kindly…even though she didn't understand what it was saying. Then she had an idea; she went out of sight and secretly activated her Byakugan. The bat squeaked…and this time Hinata understood what it said.

"_It's about time you figured it out!"_

"I don't believe it…I can understand what you're saying!" said Hinata in disbelief.

"_Naturally…I am the one who gave your clan the Byakugan after all. And as for your kinsmen…tell Neji he's lucky I didn't take offense to that snide comment he made!"_

"What's your name?" asked Hinata.

"_You already know my name! We talked last night, remember?"_

"Kage? But if that's true, then why are you smaller than before?"

"_It's because I don't want to attract attention from the adults in the village. That and I didn't think you would come anywhere near a large bat-like monster."_

"True… So what do we do now?" asked Hinata. She allowed her Byakugan to dissipate; remembering too late that she could only understand Kage with her Byakugan active…or so she thought.

"_Your Byakugan only put us in tune girl. You don't need to waste your chakra keeping the thing active to understand me. Though I could make it otherwise if I felt like it."_

"That's good to know, Kage," said Hinata.

"_Should we go to the training area and meet up with Kiba, Akamaru and Shino?"_

"That sounds like a great idea! Let's go!"

"Hey Hinata! Looks like you can understand your friend too!" said Kiba.

"Yeah… What's your wolf-friend's name, Kiba?"

"_His name is Flow… weird name, but it works,"_ joked Kage.

"He said his name is Flow or something," said Kiba.

"Wait a minute… Kage, how did you know his name?!" said Hinata surprised.

"_Maybe because we all came from the same world?" _suggested the Scarab.

"Um, my Scarab said his name is Scar…or something like that," said Shino.

"So what are we going to do today, Kuranai-sensei?" asked Hinata.

"I think you three, er seven I should say, should take the day off to train with your new sensei. Right, Kage, Flow and Scar?" said Kuranai.

"_Agreed… I think your sensei does deserve the day off, don't you?"_ said Flow.

"Sure, why not? So what're you guys gonna teach us?" asked Kiba.

"_We are going to show you three a few new tricks that not even your families have uncovered yet. Let's find somewhere that the adults won't interrupt us," _said Scar.

"I know a cave a mile away. Let's go," said Shino.

-------

At the cave…

"So what are we going to do first?" asked Hinata.

"_Well, you and I are going deeper into the cave for a few hours. Shino and Scar are going into the forest; Kiba and Flow are going into a wolf's den nearby."_

"Um, Kage… I'm scared…" said Hinata after they reached where they were heading.

"_Don't worry, I'm not going to let anything too bad from happening to you,"_ said Kage.

"But I can't see anything…"

"_That was the idea. Instead of relying on your eyes, rely on your other senses; or your ears to be more specific," _Kage said quietly.

"How can my hearing help me out of the cave?"

"_You know how we bats find our prey in the dark?"_

"Echolocation?"

"_Exactly… we sense the vibrations that come off the prey and go in. Now, for your first step, I'll bring out something that you can use as your own version of echolocation. Ready?"_

"I…I think so."

"_Good. Now when the vibrations start, follow your ears. Go!"_ said Kage as he turned something on. If Hinata didn't know any better, she'd swear he was playing music! (Which he was.)

* * *

I'm tired of being what you want me to be,

Feeling so faithless,

Lost under the surface,

I don't know what you're expecting of me,

But under the pressure

Of walking in your shoes,

(Caught in the undertow,

Just caught in the undertow)

Every step that I take is

Another mistake to you

I've

Become so numb

I can't feel you there

Become so tired

So much more aware

I'm becoming this

All I want to do

Is be more like me

And be less like you

Can't you see that you're smothering me

Holding so tightly

Afraid to lose control

'Cause everything that you thought I would be

Has fallen apart right in front of you

(Caught in the undertow,

Just caught in the undertow)

Every step that I take is

Another mistake to you

(Caught in the undertow,

Just caught in the undertow)

And every second I waste

Is more than I can take

I've

Become so numb

I can't feel you there

Become so tired

So much more aware

I'm becoming this

All I want to do

Is be more like me

And be less like you

And I know

I may end up failing too

But I know

You were just like me with someone disappointed in you

I've

Become so numb

I can't feel you there

Become so tired

So much more aware

I'm becoming this

All I want to do

Is be more like me

And be less like you

(Linkin Park's "Numb". I figured this song fit Hinata better than most others!)

* * *

Hinata activated her Byakugan (just in case) and the result was different than even Kage expected. Instead of her blindly walking in to things, like he had expected on her first try, she was able to avoid all the rocks and pitfalls inside the cave!

"_Impressive… I never expected you to be able to pull this off on your first try, Hinata!"_ said Kage.

"I…I can see everything so clearly! I can even see the drop of water hitting you, Kage!"

"_Um, I haven't been hit by any…ACK!!!! Man, that's cold! Wait…how did you?"_

"I don't know… it's like I can see things without my eyes," said Hinata.

"_Odd… even I couldn't hear that drop of water. I wonder…"_ said Kage.

"Kage, what's wrong?" asked Hinata.

"_Nothing."_

"Kage, watch out for that rock! It'll hit you on your wings!" warned Hinata suddenly. Sure enough, five seconds later a rock narrowly avoided Kage's wings.

"_Hinata…I think you're clairvoyant. It's the only explanation,"_ said Kage.

"Clairvoyant? You mean I'm psychic?"

"_Something like that. Do you know the different types of psychic abilities?"_

"Um… Telekinesis, telepathy, and that's about it…" said Hinata.

"_Close. Telekinesis allows people to levitate things without physically touching them. Telepathy allows you to read minds. Teleportation brings things to you. Precognition allows you to see things that have yet to happen. Judging by what you just saw, I'd say the latter is what you have."_

"So you mean I can see into the future?" said Hinata hopeful.

"_Sure seems that way. Who knows, you might have more psychic abilities that haven't awakened."_

It took Hinata less than four minutes to find her way out of the cave without using her sight. Kage was not only impressed, he was also glad. Finally, Hinata had a power that not even the Sharingan could overcome! They trained her 'sight' for over a week with excellent results; however, because Hinata trained long until past dinnertime, her father and mother became suspicious. What would happen next would shock the Hyuga clan completely!

Hinata and Neji would fight each other yet again with a different result!


	15. Hinata vs Neji: ROUND TWO!

**Hinata vs. Neji—round two!**

"Hinata, your mother and I have noticed that you've been staying out late. Is there something going on?" asked her father.

"No father… I get so caught up in practicing that I completely lose track of time," replied Hinata.

"If you've been practicing so hard, then why don't we put that to the test? Tomorrow you will go against your cousin Neji," said her father.

"But…!"

"If you truly have been training, then you should have no problem defeating him in battle."

"Yes…father…" said Hinata worriedly.

-------

"_Hinata, what's wrong? You don't seem yourself…"_ said Kage.

"Father wants me to fight Neji again," said Hinata.

"Oh no…" said Kiba.

"_What happened last time?" _asked the three demons.

"The last time Neji and Hinata fought was during the Chuunin exams; he would have killed her if the Jonin hadn't stepped in to stop him," explained Shino.

"_But you've grown since then. I fully believe this time you'll win,"_ said Flow.

"_Don't worry Hinata. Remember, you have a power Neji can't beat Byakugan or no."_

"I don't know…" said Hinata nervously.

"_Hmm…perhaps today's training should be slightly different…" _mused Kage.

"Uh-oh…I don't like the look in Kage's eyes…" said Kiba.

"_I have an idea. Why don't we pit them against themselves?"_ suggested Flow.

"_Perfect. Prepare to fight yourselves!"_ said Scar.

-------

Flow, Scar and Kage opened the doors to an alternate plain. Awaiting them were three others…who looked _exactly_ like Hinata, Kiba and Shino! However, their personalities were completely different to their own. Standing beside the other shinobi, were Kage Scar and Flow in their natural form.

"If you can beat your other half, then you can beat almost anything. And since Hinata has to fight her cousin in the morning, we'll cut training short today. You may begin when you're ready," said Kage.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" said Shino.

"Um…I don't want to fight myself…" said Hinata nervously.

**"Too bad. You're going to fight me whether you like it or not, so deal with it!"** said the other Hinata coldly.

"Woah… that Hinata is…" said Kiba in shock.

**"More confident in herself? Why shouldn't she be? She is the half that had been locked up inside the one you know all this time,"** said the other Shino. (I'm going to call the opposite version of Kiba, Shino and Hinata by their names spelled backwards.)

"Let's get this over with…" said Shino. The two boys fought their other selves in battle (and tied); Hinata, on the other hand, was too shy to fight herself. So Atanih took the fight to her!

-------

"Please, I don't want to fight you!" said Hinata upset.

**"And you wonder why Neji kicked your ass during the Exams. You're too soft!"** said Atanih irritably. Her Byakugan was already active and she attacked relentlessly.

"Hinata, if you can't defeat yourself, how do you expect to survive against Neji?" sighed Kage.

"I'll…I'll try Kage," stammered Hinata as she attempted to defeat herself.

**"Hey, you guys want to recover while watching the girls fight?"** asked Abik.

"Sure." Kiba shrugged.

Even though Hinata fought her hardest, her other half was still beating her. (And her 'sight' wasn't much help because the other half could use it too!) Hinata wasn't about to give up; she continued fighting even though it was clear that her opposite was stronger.

"That's enough for today, Atanih. Hinata has to fight Neji again in the morning," said Kage.

**"I know that, but she'll never beat him at this rate!"** protested Atanih.

"Training's over for today guys! We'll pick up the day after Hinata's bout with Neji. Rest up for tomorrow!" said Scar.

"I'm sorry Kage… I tried my best but I still couldn't win," said Hinata upset.

"_Don't fret over it. You're just not used to standing up for yourself is all. We'll try again after your fight with Neji, okay?"_

"Okay…" said Hinata sadly.

-------

**'If you want, we can spar while you sleep,'** said Atanih.

_What…?! How are you…?_

**Once you meet your other half, a connection is established and we can chat whenever we want. Or, if you allow it, switch places with one another during battle.**

_What happens when we do that?_

**Your wounds heal, but only for the first switch. If we switch back, the wounds remain. It's some sort of deterrent for switching places too much during battles.**

_I think I can understand that. But how can that help us defeat Neji? He's better with the Byakugan and he has the 64-palms jutsu! If he uses that we'll lose for sure!_

**Not quite. There is a way to make his attack inert, but you'll have to trade places with me in order to pull it off.**

_Why?_

**Because** **I'm the only one of us who knows which points to hit. If we tried to do it with you in control with me telling you which ones, Neji would be able to block us.**

_Okay… I'll let you handle Neji and his jutsu. But what happens when they realize that I'm not myself?_

**I'll just say that I've had it with Neji and his snide comments on how weak we are. Or tell them that we're repaying him for that stunt he pulled during the Chuunin Exams.**

_I think they'll believe that more easily that the first one._

"_I see you and your other half have been talking. Just make sure you don't space out too much in front of the clan,"_ warned Kage.

"Hai…!" said Hinata; her mental conversation with her other self cut off.

-------

The next morning, Hinata faced Neji once again in battle.

"Let's make this quick," said Neji bored.

"You may begin when you're ready," said her father. Hinata instinctively activated her Byakugan after Neji did so himself. He started with a charge, which Hinata saw coming and ducked before he could hit her with the Gentle Palm. After several strikes from Neji (none of which actually made contact), his patience had drawn thin. He prepared to use the 64-palms jutsu. Hinata saw her chance and immediately let Atanih take over.

Hinata/Atanih struck Neji eight times before his jutsu could activate. Neji didn't feel any change in his chakra at all; he assumed that her attacks were pointless. He tried again to use his jutsu, only to find that he was unable to summon the necessary amount of chakra needed.

**"What's the matter, Neji? Can't use your Sixty-Four Palms?" **said Hinata amused.

"What…what the hell did you do to me?!" growled Neji angry and confused.

**"Nothing much. Unless you count the fact that I rendered your Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms completely inert for three days,"** replied Hinata coolly.

"How?! Your attacks didn't even affect my chakra flow!" stammered Neji.

**"Not noticeably, cousin. I hit eight specific points so you wouldn't be able to use your jutsu. I'm not completely helpless Neji,"** snorted Hinata. Neji tried to attack her in anger, only to find himself in the dirt.

"Impossible! There's no way you could know which points to hit to do that!" said Neji in disbelief.

**"Consider it my way of repaying you for that stunt you pulled in the Chuunin Exams,"** said Hinata irritably.

-------

**Hey Hinata, do you mind if I try a jutsu I made while you honed our 'sight'?**

_Sure…just try not to kill Neji._

**I'll try…though I'm not making any guarantees.**

_What does your jutsu do?  
_**Well, I was never able to perform it correctly because there was no connection to each other. But after you and I fought yesterday, I was finally able to perfect it. I hope Neji can handle fighting me on my home turf!**

--------

"How? How can you have grown so strong so quickly?!" said Neji surprised.

**"The greatest fight that any shinobi has to face is a fight with themselves. If they can overcome that, they can achieve almost anything."**

"How can you fight with yourself? That makes absolutely NO sense, Hinata!" Neji retorted.

Hinata made a series of hand signs and said clearly, _**"Kage Kagami no Jutsu!"**_ (Shadow Mirror Jutsu.)

It took a second for the jutsu to take affect. One moment Neji and Hinata were fighting in their usual plain, the next they were in the shadow world. The world where Hinata's other self was locked up inside her dwelled here, as did the other half of everyone else.

"Hinata…what have you done?!" said Neji in shock.

"You know how a mirror reflects images? Well, welcome to the other side of the mirror," said Atanih.

"Atanih, how did you…?" said Hinata surprised.

"What the…two Hinatas?" said Neji surprised.

"You're in my world now, cousin. And the Hinata you know is standing beside me. I am the part of her that was locked within herself. Now it's time for you to meet your other half!" said Atanih.

**"You called me, Atanih?"** asked a familiar voice.

"Hello, Ijen. Doesn't _he _look familiar?" said Atanih pointing at Neji.

"What the hell?!" said Neji as he realized that the person in front of him was himself!

"I told you that you're in the other side of the mirror, Neji. You thought I was kidding, didn't you?" said Atanih amused.

**"Atanih can be quite literal minded sometimes,"** said Ijen with a laugh.

"Um, why is your name Ijen? And why is hers Atanih?"

**"They're your names spelled backwards of course. Naruto's is Oturan and Sasuke is Ekusas,"** said Ijen.

"So everyone in our world has a double whose name is their own spelled backwards?" said Neji.

**"Exactly. And a good majority of the time, their personality is the polar opposite of their own as well."**

"I'd love to meet Lee and Naruto's opposite," said Neji.

**"Can't… the only way you can see someone else's other side is if they are present as well,"** said Ijen.

"And once you meet your opposite, you can talk to them whenever you want," said Hinata.

"I think it's about time we finished this little fight, don't you, cousin Neji?" said Atanih.

"Why not…?" shrugged Neji. The battle between the two went on for an hour (around half an hour had passed and they returned to the normal world) and in the end, Hinata was finally able to beat Neji!

"It seems you truly were training Hinata…" mused her father.

"I have to ask, but who taught you that trick with the mirror thing?" Neji asked.

"That wasn't my jutsu actually… it was mirror half's jutsu. She was also the one who disabled your Eight Trigram Sixty-Four Palms," said Hinata.

"Hey Hinata, you did it!" said Kiba impressed.

"Or was that Atanih, your mirror self's doing?" asked Shino.

"A bit of both. She disabled his Sixty-Four Palms jutsu and I did the Gentle Fist on Neji. So how long have you been there?" asked Hinata.

"Since the battle began. Tenten and Lee were here too," said Shino.

"_Hinata, why did you allow your other half to fight?!"_ said Kage irritably.

_Because, Kage, she wanted to help me prove I wasn't weak._

"_YOU DIDN'T NEED HER HELP TO DO THAT!!!!"_

_She is a part of me, so I thought she should fight with me._

"_You humans are so…so foolish sometimes…"_

_Kage, why were you so upset that I let Atanih fight with me?_

"_The mirror world has certain…problems with its occupants. Those who dwell there are not only the opposite of the other in personality and techniques, they're also almost always the opposite when it comes to good and evil. In other words, you are the Hikari or Light half, she is the Yami or darkness side of you."_

_Wait…do you mean she's my EVIL twin?!_

"_That's one way to look at it, but yes."_

_I don't believe she's evil. I trust her._

"_It will lead to your undoing if that is true," _said Kage with a sigh.

Thank you for trusting me.

(This ends the chapters that feature Hinata. The next chap focuses on Haruto and Naruto!)


End file.
